Cocktail & Other Recipes Occasion Spring

The 10 Most Popular Cocktails This April

From a New Orleans classic to a TikTok-trending spritz.

By
Audrey Morgan
Headshot of Audrey Morgan, smiling and facing forward, wearing black sweater on solid dark gray background
Audrey Morgan
Audrey Morgan is the associate editor at Liquor.com, where she writes and edits features, explainers, bottle reviews, bartender profiles, and more.
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Published 04/14/23
Gold Rush cocktail in an engraved rocks glass with single large ice cup and lemon twist, on a dark marble background

We’re halfway through April, and if your searches are any indication, folks have been shaking up their cocktail routines with lighter flavors and TikTok-trending spritzes. As the weather warms up and spring sets in, recipes that lend themselves to outdoor drinking are on the rise, along with brunch favorites and refreshing sours—plus plenty of classic cocktails. Here are the 10 most popular recipes of April so far.

  • Bloody Mary

    Bloody Mary

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    Combine spring brunches and our of-the-moment obsession with savory cocktails, and you have the Bloody Mary. There are endless ways to customize the classic—our version calls for vodka, tomato juice, horseradish, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, paprika, and plenty of garnishes.

    Get the recipe.

  • Aperol Spritz

    Aperol Spritz

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    This easy-drinking Italian classic became popular in the United States in the 2010s. Whether we’re still binging White Lotus or leaning into patio season, the gently bittersweet combination of Aperol, prosecco, and soda water is as beloved as ever.

    Get the recipe.

  • French 75

    French 75 cocktail

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog 

    Sure, there are always Mimosas. But this delicious combination of gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and Champagne—named for a 75-millimeter field gun and popularized during Prohibition—is arguably a more special use of sparkling wine that goes down easily any time of day.

    Get the recipe.

  • Reverse Martini

    Reverse Martini in a Nick & Nora, sherry-style glass, with dropped olive garnish on marble background

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    Of all the Martini variations, this one may be the most radical, inverting the usual proportions of gin to dry vermouth. The result? An aromatic and lower-proof drink that allows vermouth to shine. 

    Get the recipe.

    Continue to 5 of 10 below

  • Mint Julep

    Mint Julep

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog 

    We’re still weeks away from Derby Day, but that hasn’t stopped people from enjoying this refreshing and classic combination of bourbon, muddled mint, and simple syrup, served over lots of crushed ice. It’s hard to go wrong when mixing one up, but a slightly higher-proof bourbon is key, as it will keep the ice from diluting the drink too quickly. 

    Get the recipe.

  • Gold Rush

    Gold Rush cocktail in an engraved rocks glass with single large ice cup and lemon twist, on a dark marble background

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    Although it has become a bar-world staple at such a pace that it’s often assumed to be a pre-Prohibition classic, this combination of bourbon, lemon juice, and honey syrup was first created at New York City’s Milk & Honey in the early 2000s. Whether you consider it a bourbon Bee’s Knees variation or a Whiskey Sour riff with honey, the lush drink is greater than the sum of its parts. 

    Get the recipe.

  • Tequila Sunrise

    Hand holding Tequila Sunrise in highball glass with straw, garnished with two cherries and an orange, shot against blue background

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    It’s no wonder this 1970s classic has become popular on bar menus worldwide: It’s sweet and simple, with a neat visual trick that’s easy to pull off at home. Adding grenadine last to a combination of blanco tequila and orange juice allows it to sink to the bottom, creating the drink’s namesake float.

    Get the recipe.

  • Ramos Gin Fizz

    Ramos Gin Fizz

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    This fizzy and frothy New Orleans classic is famous for two reasons: It’s delicious, and it’s notoriously labor- and time-intensive, requiring a 25 to 45-second shake time. (Back in the day, bartenders allegedly shook it for up to 12 minutes.) You’ll be rewarded with a rich and refreshing combination of gin, heavy cream, lemon and lime juices, orange flower water, simple syrup, and an egg white, topped with soda water. 

    Get the recipe.

    Continue to 9 of 10 below

  • Corpse Reviver No. 2

    Corpse Reviver No. 2 cocktail

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    Approachable but complex, this citrusy classic calls for equal parts London Dry gin, Lillet Blanc, orange liqueur, and lemon juice in an absinthe-rinsed glass. Corpse Revivers date to the 1870s, but this version became particularly popular when bartenders began looking to old cocktail books for inspiration in the early 2000s.

    Get the recipe.

  • Hugo Spritz

    Hugo Spritz

    Liquor.com / Tim Nusog

    There are countless ways to create a spritz, and this floral Northern Italian variation, which has been trending on TikTok, is a particularly great one for spring. Like most spritzes, it’s easy to make at home: Just top St-Germain and muddled mint with prosecco and soda water. 

    Get the recipe.