Aromatic Cocktails
Explore 109 Aromatic cocktail recipes.
Aromatic cocktails put the smell of the drink on the same footing as the taste — sometimes higher. They tend to lean on bitters, vermouth, amari and other aromatic ingredients whose work happens above the rim of the glass as much as in it. The Black Manhattan is the working anchor: bourbon, Averna, Angostura and orange bitters, stirred over ice and served up with a cherry.
The amaro replaces the sweet vermouth of a normal Manhattan and pushes the aromatic complexity in a darker, more bitter direction. The Midnight Stinger pairs bourbon with Averna and lemon, leaning on the amaro for both bitterness and aromatic lift. The Elderflower Collins works the same trick from a lighter angle, with elderflower carrying the top notes over the gin.
The Vesper Dry Martini brings Lillet Blanc into a martini structure for a perfumed read. What ties this list together is that the aromatic ingredient is doing the same job that garnish does in many other cocktails — telling your nose what to expect before your mouth catches up. Most are stirred rather than shaken (aromatic ingredients lose their nose to over-aeration), most run drier than sweet, most are served up or on big ice in a small glass, and most reward an expressed citrus peel before serving rather than after.
Hold the glass close enough to the nose to smell it before the first sip — that's where half the drink lives.
Our top Aromatic cocktail
The Stamp
Green Cardamom Pisco, Pino Mugo, Eau tonique, Lemon juice, Sirop de mûre, Feuilles de basilic
More top Aromatic cocktails
Coffee Negroni
Gin, Campari, Vermouth rouge
Coffee Cardamom & Orange
Liqueur de café, Jus d'orange, Gousses de cardamome
Rosemary Old Fashioned
Bourbon, Bitters aromatiques, Sucre, Rosemary
Pago Pago
White rum, Liqueur de café, Green Chartreuse, Jus de citron vert, Ananas
Rapscallion
Whiskey, Liqueur d’anis, Sherry (dry)
Dolores
White rum, Vermouth rouge, Xérès (doux)
Old Acquaintance
Gin, Jus de pamplemousse rose, Sucre / sirop simple, Jus de citron vert
Turf Club
Absinthe, Gin, Liqueur de cerise Maraschino, Vermouth blanc, Orange bitters
Gingerbread Bellini
Frangelico, Champagne / prosecco, Sirop de pain d'épices, Lemon
Gypsy Queen
Vodka, DOM Benedictine, Bitters aromatiques
Chrysanthemum
Absinthe, DOM Benedictine, Vermouth blanc
Gin Basil Smash
Dry gin, Sucre / sirop simple, Lemon juice, Feuilles de basilic
Coffee Negroni
Gin, Campari, Vermouth rouge
Coffee Cardamom & Orange
Liqueur de café, Jus d'orange, Gousses de cardamome
Rosemary Old Fashioned
Bourbon, Bitters aromatiques, Sucre, Rosemary
Pago Pago
White rum, Liqueur de café, Green Chartreuse, Jus de citron vert, Ananas
Rapscallion
Whiskey, Liqueur d’anis, Sherry (dry)
Dolores
White rum, Vermouth rouge, Xérès (doux)
Old Acquaintance
Gin, Jus de pamplemousse rose, Sucre / sirop simple, Jus de citron vert
Turf Club
Absinthe, Gin, Liqueur de cerise Maraschino, Vermouth blanc, Orange bitters
Gingerbread Bellini
Frangelico, Champagne / prosecco, Sirop de pain d'épices, Lemon
Gypsy Queen
Vodka, DOM Benedictine, Bitters aromatiques
Chrysanthemum
Absinthe, DOM Benedictine, Vermouth blanc
Gin Basil Smash
Dry gin, Sucre / sirop simple, Lemon juice, Feuilles de basilic
More top Aromatic cocktails
Coffee Negroni
Gin, Campari, Vermouth rouge
Coffee Cardamom & Orange
Liqueur de café, Jus d'orange, Gousses de cardamome
Rosemary Old Fashioned
Bourbon, Bitters aromatiques, Sucre, Rosemary
Pago Pago
White rum, Liqueur de café, Green Chartreuse, Jus de citron vert, Ananas
Rapscallion
Whiskey, Liqueur d’anis, Sherry (dry)
Dolores
White rum, Vermouth rouge, Xérès (doux)
Old Acquaintance
Gin, Jus de pamplemousse rose, Sucre / sirop simple, Jus de citron vert
Turf Club
Absinthe, Gin, Liqueur de cerise Maraschino, Vermouth blanc, Orange bitters
Gingerbread Bellini
Frangelico, Champagne / prosecco, Sirop de pain d'épices, Lemon
Gypsy Queen
Vodka, DOM Benedictine, Bitters aromatiques
Chrysanthemum
Absinthe, DOM Benedictine, Vermouth blanc
Gin Basil Smash
Dry gin, Sucre / sirop simple, Lemon juice, Feuilles de basilic
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