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.
More top Aromatic cocktails
Coffee Negroni
Gin, Campari, Vermute vermelho
Coffee Cardamom & Orange
Licor de café, Suco de laranja, Vagens de cardamomo
Rosemary Old Fashioned
Bourbon, Bitters aromáticos, Açúcar, Rosemary
Pago Pago
White rum, Licor de café, Green Chartreuse, Suco de limão, Abacaxi
Rapscallion
Whiskey, Licor de anis, Sherry (dry)
Dolores
White rum, Vermute vermelho, Sherry (doce)
Old Acquaintance
Gin, Suco de grapefruit rosa, Açúcar / xarope simples, Suco de limão
Turf Club
Absinto, Gin, Licor de cereja Maraschino, Vermute branco, Bitter de laranja
Gingerbread Bellini
Frangelico, Champanhe / prosecco, Xarope de gingerbread, Lemon
Gypsy Queen
Vodka, DOM Benedictine, Bitters aromáticos
Chrysanthemum
Absinto, DOM Benedictine, Vermute branco
Gin Basil Smash
Dry gin, Açúcar / xarope simples, Lemon juice, Folhas de manjericão
Coffee Negroni
Gin, Campari, Vermute vermelho
Coffee Cardamom & Orange
Licor de café, Suco de laranja, Vagens de cardamomo
Rosemary Old Fashioned
Bourbon, Bitters aromáticos, Açúcar, Rosemary
Pago Pago
White rum, Licor de café, Green Chartreuse, Suco de limão, Abacaxi
Rapscallion
Whiskey, Licor de anis, Sherry (dry)
Dolores
White rum, Vermute vermelho, Sherry (doce)
Old Acquaintance
Gin, Suco de grapefruit rosa, Açúcar / xarope simples, Suco de limão
Turf Club
Absinto, Gin, Licor de cereja Maraschino, Vermute branco, Bitter de laranja
Gingerbread Bellini
Frangelico, Champanhe / prosecco, Xarope de gingerbread, Lemon
Gypsy Queen
Vodka, DOM Benedictine, Bitters aromáticos
Chrysanthemum
Absinto, DOM Benedictine, Vermute branco
Gin Basil Smash
Dry gin, Açúcar / xarope simples, Lemon juice, Folhas de manjericão
More top Aromatic cocktails
Coffee Negroni
Gin, Campari, Vermute vermelho
Coffee Cardamom & Orange
Licor de café, Suco de laranja, Vagens de cardamomo
Rosemary Old Fashioned
Bourbon, Bitters aromáticos, Açúcar, Rosemary
Pago Pago
White rum, Licor de café, Green Chartreuse, Suco de limão, Abacaxi
Rapscallion
Whiskey, Licor de anis, Sherry (dry)
Dolores
White rum, Vermute vermelho, Sherry (doce)
Old Acquaintance
Gin, Suco de grapefruit rosa, Açúcar / xarope simples, Suco de limão
Turf Club
Absinto, Gin, Licor de cereja Maraschino, Vermute branco, Bitter de laranja
Gingerbread Bellini
Frangelico, Champanhe / prosecco, Xarope de gingerbread, Lemon
Gypsy Queen
Vodka, DOM Benedictine, Bitters aromáticos
Chrysanthemum
Absinto, DOM Benedictine, Vermute branco
Gin Basil Smash
Dry gin, Açúcar / xarope simples, Lemon juice, Folhas de manjericão
Explore every Aromatic cocktail
Want to go deeper? Browse the full Aromatic collection and filter by only what you can make right now, mocktails, base spirit and more — all on our results page.
Browse all Aromatic cocktails