The Ultimate Guide to Sweet Drinks to Order at a Bar
In the mood for a sweet drink? This guide has you covered.
Tessa ZuluagaAuthor
Cocktail Menu Templates
Use these cocktail menu templates as a starting point for your menu design or to give your menu a refresh.
Get free downloadSo you’re in the mood for a sweet drink. Did you know the majority of Americans consume a sweet drink on a daily basis? If nothing on the cocktail menu is striking your fancy, it’s always good to have a go-to drink order in your back pocket.
Sweet cocktails, once viewed as more feminine, now enjoy broad appeal across all demographics. Sam Penix, owner of New York’s Everyman Espresso, challenges outdated notions about drinks having gendered associations: “Drinks aren’t people. Drinks are inanimate, and at best they have one goal: to be delicious.” This shift in thinking reflects a larger cultural change, where drinks are no longer confined to narrow binaries.
Penix adds, “Women don’t want to be limited to brighter, sweeter, fruitier drinks or have femininity falsely equated to weakness. Men don’t want to be stigmatized for ordering skim lattes.” The growing acceptance of sweeter drinks by all genders demonstrates a move toward more inclusive hospitality, where the focus is on individual preferences and experiences.
In this article, we’ll cover the most popular sweet drinks you can order at a bar, as well as the liquors, liqueurs, and cordials that give them their sweetness. And while we’re at it: Here’s a recipe for a killer bloody mary for the morning after your sugar rush:
2 oz vodka
4 oz tomato juice
0.5 oz lemon juice
2-3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
2-3 dashes of hot sauce (like Tabasco or Sriracha)
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of black pepper
1 pinch of celery salt
Optional garnishes: celery stalk, lime wedge, olives, bacon, pickles, or shrimp
Bartender Training Checklist
Use this free Bartender Training Checklist to help streamline your training process and set your new bartenders up for success.
Sweet drinks to order on your next night out
1. Margarita
A classic cocktail made with tequila, fresh lime juice, and triple sec, often served in a salt-rimmed glass. To order, simply ask for a margarita and specify if you'd like it on the rocks or frozen.
Recipe: 2 oz tequila, 1 oz lime juice, 1 oz triple sec. Shake with ice cubes and strain into a salt-rimmed glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.
2. Mojito
A refreshing Cuban highball made with white rum, mint leaves, lime juice, sugar, and soda water. When ordering, specify if you'd like it sweet or less sweet.
Recipe: 2 oz white rum, 1 oz lime juice, 1 tsp sugar, mint leaves, soda water. Muddle mint with sugar and lime juice, add rum and ice, top with soda water.
3. Piña Colada
A tropical concoction made with rum, coconut cream, and pineapple juice. Order it blended or on the rocks.
Recipe: 2 oz rum, 2 oz coconut cream, 2 oz pineapple juice. Blend with ice until smooth. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and a maraschino cherry.
4. Cosmopolitan
A popular cocktail made with vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice, and lime juice, often served in a martini glass. Simply ask for a Cosmo when ordering.
Recipe: 1.5 oz vodka, 0.5 oz triple sec, 0.5 oz lime juice, 1 oz cranberry juice. Shake with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with an orange peel.
5. Sangria
A wine-based cocktail made with fruit, brandy, and sometimes seltzer. Specify if you'd like red or white sangria.
Recipe: 1 bottle of red or white wine, 1/2 cup brandy, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup sugar, sliced fruit. Mix all ingredients in a pitcher and chill before serving.
6. Daiquiri
A simple cocktail made with rum, lime juice, and simple syrup. Order it classic or with your favorite fruit juice.
Recipe: 2 oz rum, 1 oz lime juice, 3/4 oz simple syrup. Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
7. Strawberry Daiquiri
A fruity variation of the classic daiquiri, made with strawberries.
Recipe: 2 oz rum, 1 oz lime juice, 3/4 oz simple syrup, 1/2 cup strawberries. Blend with ice until smooth. Garnish with a strawberry.
8. Mai Tai
A Polynesian-style tiki cocktail made with rum, orange curaçao, lime juice, and orgeat syrup.
Recipe: 1.5 oz white rum, 0.75 oz dark rum, 0.5 oz orange curaçao, 0.75 oz lime juice, 0.5 oz orgeat syrup. Shake with ice and strain into a glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a mint sprig and a lime wedge.
9. Tequila Sunrise
A layered cocktail made with tequila, orange juice, and grenadine syrup.
Recipe: 2 oz tequila, 4 oz orange juice, 1/2 oz grenadine syrup. Pour tequila and orange juice into a glass filled with ice, then slowly pour grenadine syrup down the side of the glass to create a layered effect. Garnish with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry.
10. Sex on the Beach
A fruity vodka cocktail made with peach schnapps, cranberry juice, and orange juice.
Recipe: 1.5 oz vodka, 0.5 oz peach schnapps, 1.5 oz cranberry juice, 1.5 oz orange juice. Build ingredients in a glass filled with ice. Garnish with an orange slice.
11. Long Island Iced Tea
A potent combo made with vodka, gin, tequila, rum, triple sec, lemon juice, and cola.
Recipe: 0.5 oz each of vodka, gin, tequila, rum, and triple sec, 0.75 oz lemon juice, 1 oz simple syrup, cola. Shake all ingredients except cola with ice, strain into a glass filled with ice, top with cola. Garnish with a lemon wedge.
12. Moscow Mule
A refreshing cocktail made with vodka, ginger beer, and lime juice, traditionally served in a copper mug.
Recipe: 2 oz vodka, 0.5 oz lime juice, ginger beer. Build ingredients in a copper mug or highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.
13. Aperol Spritz
An Italian aperitif cocktail made with Aperol, prosecco, and soda water.
Recipe: 2 oz Aperol, 3 oz prosecco, 1 oz soda water. Build ingredients in a wine glass filled with ice. Garnish with an orange slice.
14. Lemon Drop
A sweet and sour vodka cocktail made with lemon juice, triple sec, and simple syrup.
Recipe: 1.5 oz vodka, 0.75 oz lemon juice, 0.5 oz triple sec, 0.5 oz simple syrup. Shake with ice and strain into a sugar-rimmed cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
15. Grateful Dead
A tropical tiki cocktail made with rum, tequila, vodka, gin, raspberry liqueur, and citrus juices.
Recipe: 0.5 oz each of rum, tequila, vodka, and gin, 0.5 oz raspberry liqueur, 0.5 oz orange juice, 0.5 oz grapefruit juice, 0.5 oz lime juice. Shake with ice and strain into a glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lime wedge and a maraschino cherry.
16. Buttery Nipple
A sweet and creamy layered shot made with Irish cream and butterscotch schnapps.
Recipe: 0.5 oz Irish cream, 0.5 oz butterscotch schnapps. Pour Irish cream into a shot glass, then slowly pour butterscotch schnapps over the back of a spoon to layer it on top.
17. Tom Collins
A refreshing gin cocktail made with lemon juice, sugar, and club soda.
Recipe: 2 oz gin, 0.75 oz lemon juice, 0.5 oz simple syrup, club soda. Shake gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup with ice, strain into a glass filled with ice, top with club soda. Garnish with a lemon wheel and a maraschino cherry.
Bar Manager Duties Checklist
Use this free checklist to help streamline daily tasks, make sure weekly duties get completed, and ensure your bar manager stays organized.
Cocktail recipes with sweet liquor, liqueurs, and cordials
Some of the most popular sweet liquors, liqueurs, and cordials that can make a cocktail sweet include:
- Baileys Irish Cream
- Kahlúa
- Cointreau
- Chambord
- Amaretto
- Limoncello
- Midori
- Crème de Cacao
- Peach Schnapps
- Southern Comfort
Here are 10 cocktail recipes using these sweet ingredients:
1. Mudslide
1 oz Baileys, 1 oz Kahlúa, 1 oz vodka, 1 oz heavy cream. Shake with ice and strain into a glass. Garnish with chocolate shavings.
2. B-52
1/3 oz Kahlúa, 1/3 oz Baileys, 1/3 oz Grand Marnier. Layer ingredients in a shot glass.
3. French 75
1 oz gin, 0.5 oz lemon juice, 0.5 oz simple syrup, 2 oz Champagne. Shake gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup with ice, strain into a Champagne flute, top with Champagne. Garnish with a lemon twist.
4. Sidecar
2 oz cognac, 0.75 oz Cointreau, 0.75 oz lemon juice. Shake with ice and strain into a sugar-rimmed cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
5. French Martini
2 oz vodka, 0.5 oz Chambord, 1.5 oz pineapple juice. Shake with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a raspberry.
6. Amaretto Sour
1.5 oz amaretto, 0.75 oz lemon juice, 0.5 oz simple syrup. Shake with ice and strain into a glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lemon wheel and a maraschino cherry.
7. Limoncello Spritz
1.5 oz limoncello, 3 oz prosecco, 1 oz soda water. Build ingredients in a wine glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lemon wheel.
8. Midori Sour
1.5 oz Midori, 0.75 oz lemon juice, 0.5 oz simple syrup. Shake with ice and strain into a glass filled with ice. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.
9. Chocolate Martini
1.5 oz vodka, 1 oz crème de cacao, 0.5 oz heavy cream. Shake with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a chocolate rim.
10. Southern Hurricane
1 oz Southern Comfort, 1 oz light rum, 1 oz dark rum, 1 oz passion fruit juice, 1 oz orange juice, 0.5 oz grenadine. Shake with ice and strain into a glass filled with ice. Garnish with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry.
Sweeten up your night
There you have it, some sweet alcoholic drinks for your next night out. Not drinking tonight? We’ve got you covered. Check out our guide on mocktails and nonalcoholic beverages here. This guide is also filled with several sweet but zero-proof drinks. Cheers!
Is this article helpful?
DISCLAIMER: This information is provided for general informational purposes only, and publication does not constitute an endorsement. Toast does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of any information, text, graphics, links, or other items contained within this content. Toast does not guarantee you will achieve any specific results if you follow any advice herein. It may be advisable for you to consult with a professional such as a lawyer, accountant, or business advisor for advice specific to your situation.
Read More
Subscribe to On the Line
Sign up to get industry intel, advice, tools, and honest takes from real people tackling their restaurants’ greatest challenges.
By submitting, you agree to receive marketing emails from Toast. We’ll handle your info according to our privacy statement. Additional information for California residents available here