We’ve nearly made it to the finish line of 2024—an occasion worthy enough to merit a toast in its own right.
Over the last year, we’ve seen our fair share of drinking trends, from the continued dominance of energy drinks to Gen Z’s shifting relationship with bars and booze compared to previous generations. We’ve also leaned into taste-testing commonly found spirits and wine, to help you navigate popular brands as you stock your home bar.
We’ve also seen an uptick in interest for at-home cocktail recipes, and we don’t blame you: We love cocktails and drinks too. Minty, aromatic Spa Water Punch is perfect in a big batch for a happy hour drink with friends, and a few Boozy Banana Lattes are exactly what your brunch spreads have been missing. Here, we’ve gathered some of the other well-loved and most read recipes of 2024. You can find these recipes, as well as many others in the Epicurious app. May you stir, shake, pour, and sip in good health!
Thanks to its apocryphal beginnings and statewide brand loyalty, the brandy old-fashioned is the Badger State’s go-to cocktail.
JC Cunningham, owner of cocktail bar PufferFish in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, describes this take on the traditional old-fashioned cocktail as “sweet and easy.” In this version, brandy takes on a leading role, while muddled maraschinos and a citrus soda like 7Up mask more spirit-forward notes.
The trick to Jesse Szewzyck’s ingenious cocktail is to steep Earl Grey tea bags in vodka, infusing it with citric, earthy bergamot flavors. Egg whites create a beautiful foamy texture (though aquafaba is an increasingly popular substitute at some of the country’s best bars), and I’m going to have to ask for a round of applause for Jesse’s idea of dubbing this one a “mar-tea-ni.” Strong choices top to bottom.
With tons of holiday season aromatics (ginger, anise, and cinnamon to name a few), this low-ABV, big-batch take on the traditional Moscow simply tastes like Christmas. This recipe is also wonderfully mutable: Swap in nonalcoholic bitters, if you’d like to go completely zero-proof, or invite your friends to drop a shot of vodka, gin, or whiskey into their personal servings.
The best kind of cocktail is one which uses an entire bottle of something—anything! Here, a bottle of vermouth takes a dip with soda water, frozen fruit, and orange and lemon juice, yielding a luscious, sweet sangria. No straggling bottles left on your bar cart.
When I see an amaro-based cocktail, I’m immediately into it. Our readers agreed, it seems, based on the popularity of Abra Barens’s Lumberjack, featuring apple cider, amaro nonino, and a splash of soda. The aromatic garnish of charred orange zest and rosemary may feel like gilding the lily, but it’s a luxurious step worth taking.
Yes, you’re reading that right. And, no, it is not 1995—Green Apple Martinis are back, baby. This version, from Hungry Eyes in New Orleans, which made our Best New Restaurants List, isn’t the sickly sweet version you might remember. This version is updated with a dose of cognac and a homemade apple syrup. At Hungry Eyes, the cocktail is so popular, they serve it on tap.
If a cocktail has only three ingredients, they’d better sing—there’s little room to hide flavor imbalances. Kendra Vaculin’s Golden Hour delivers in spades. She adds floral-yet-bitter Suze and a zingy ginger syrup to Champagne to create this instant classic.
