2023’s top trending cocktails revealed

Google has released its Year in Search results and revealed which cocktails people were searching for this year.

The list of 10 cocktails are drinks that received a high spike in traffic in the US over a sustained period in 2023 as compared with 2022.

Some classic cocktails made the list, such as a Gimlet and Sex on the Beach, while others were more unusual, such as the Azalea and the Naked & Famous – the latter of which was the top trending cocktail for the whole year.

Read on to learn more about the top trending cocktails of 2023.

10. Sex on the Beach

It’s a cocktail so famous that there’s even a song about it – at least, we assume T-Spoon were singing about the drink.

To make it, combine vodka, peach schnapps, orange juice and cranberry. The Sex on the Beach was the UK’s third favourite cocktail to make at Christmas last year – despite one in three Brits claiming to disapprove of the name.

9. Last Word

The Last Word is the first of several gin-based Prohibition cocktails on this list – which certainly adds to our theory that gin is taking off in the US, which we discussed in this month’s issue of The Spirits Business.

The cocktail combines gin, green Chartreuse, Maraschino liqueur and lime juice. You might struggle to get a hold of Chartreuse, as the Carthusian monks who create it are limiting production ‘to protect their monastic lifestyle and devote their time to solitude and prayer – but, luckily, there are alternatives.

8. White Lady

The White Lady is made with gin, triple sec, lemon juice and sometimes egg white – so, a Sidecar with gin instead of brandy… or a Gin Sour with triple sec.

Bombay Sapphire hoped to take away some of the complexity of making this cocktail when it launched a lemon-flavoured gin last year – and, judging by Google’s results, it may have been on to something.

7. Bee’s Knees

Another Prohibition-era, gin-heavy cocktail making this list is the Bee’s Knees, which combines gin, lemon juice and honey. It’s a riff on a Gin Sour, but with a cuter name.

Earlier this year, Penrhos Spirits celebrated World Bee Day (20 May) with a spicy variation.

6. El Presidente

Mojitos and Daiquiris might be the most famous Cuban cocktails, but the El Presidente has given them a run for their money this year.

Made with white rum, dry vermouth, orange curaçao and grenadine, the cocktail is one of Cuban bartender Julio Cabrera’s favourites. Despite this, it has never been recognised as an official cocktail by the International Bartenders Association (IBA), which regularly updates its list of the most-requested cocktails.

5. Gimlet

It’s back to the 1920s for the next entry on the top-trending list, with the Gimlet. Measures vary from recipe to recipe, but the core ingredients are gin and lime juice (or lime cordial).

4. Revolver

A significantly more modern drink on the list is a Revolver, which was supposedly created in 2004. Combining Bourbon, coffee liqueur and orange bitters, it’s a caffeinated take on a Manhattan.

3. Brown Derby

Allegedly dating back to 1930, the Brown Derby is a three-ingredient cocktail consisting of Bourbon, grapefruit juice and honey or maple syrup. A similar cocktail using Scotch is known as a De Rigueur, though no one knows which came first.

2. Azalea

The Azalea is supposedly the unofficial cocktail of the Masters golf tournament, which is always hosted at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, US.

Outside of the golf club, it’s difficult to find a recipe for an Azalea, though it includes vodka, pineapple juice, lemon juice and grenadine – the latter to turn it pink, like its eponymous flower.

1. Naked & Famous

Although you might not see it on many menus, the Naked & Famous is officially recognised by the IBA.

It’s made with equal parts mezcal, yellow Chartreuse, Aperol and fresh lime juice and has been referred to as a ‘better’ Aperol Spritz – which is no doubt why it’s piqued the interests of today’s drinkers and was named the top-trending cocktail for 2023.