27 Travel-Inspired Cocktails To Make At Home

The Optic Effect. *Credit: Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort and Spa*

A good cocktail can transport you to another place. Sip a potent Sazerac and you will feel like you’re sitting in the handsome wood-filled bar at The Roosevelt New Orleans, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Savor a tropical punch spiked with Appleton Estate rum and imagine yourself sprawled in a chaise lounge on a Jamaican beach.

We gathered cocktail recipes from hotel bars spanning from Barcelona to Buenos Aires so you can make them at home. Click on the destination that you want to taste:

LOS CABOS

The Optic Effect

Harvested in Baja Sur, guavas range from yellow to green throughout the year, according to Grand Solmar Land’s End Resort and Spa. The Optic Effect is named for the beautiful varying shades of this delicious tropical fruit, as the drink can be enjoyed in different colors throughout the seasons.

2 ounces Mezcal espadin
2 ounces Ancho Reyes liqueur
1 ounce guava puree
1 ounce simple syrup
1 ounce lemon juice
.5 ounce lime juice
Garnish with a dehydrated orange slice

Add the guava puree to a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. Then add lime juice, simple syrup, mezcal and Ancho Reyes liqueur and shake softly for 10 seconds. Pour in an Old Fashioned glass with ice. To finish, squeeze a lemon peel around the rim of the glass to aromatize and place a dehydrated orange slice on top.

NEW ORLEANS

The Sazerac

The Sazerac is the official cocktail of the Crescent City, and there’s no better place to enjoy it than The Roosevelt New Orleans, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel’s Sazerac Bar. Here’s the 1949 bar’s version of the famed drink.

1 sugar cube
3 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters
1.5 ounces of Sazerac rye whiskey
.25 ounce Herbsaint (absinthe)
Lemon peel for garnish

Pack an Old Fashioned glass with ice. In a second Old Fashioned glass, place a sugar cube and add 3 dashes of bitters, then crush the sugar cube. Add the rye whiskey to the bitters and sugar. Empty the ice from the first glass and coat the glass with Herbsaint. Empty the whiskey-bitters-sugar mixture from the second glass into the first and garnish with lemon peel. Be sure to strain the mixture.

You can use any good six-to eight-year-old rye whiskey, such as Jim Beam or Rittenhouse. In addition, you can substitute simple syrup for the sugar cube.

BANGKOK

The Message

One integral element makes The Message a Thai libation. “Coconut water, one of the cocktail’s main ingredients, is a Thai staple and the ultimate thirst quencher, especially in Bangkok’s heat and humidity at this time of the year,” says Renu Sinpho, bar manager of Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel. “But more importantly, or essentially, Thais also believe that drinking it helps to reduce that hangover, as coconut water provides important electrolytes, such as potassium and sodium, which help fight off the fuzzy effects of alcohol.”

1 ounce Johnnie Walker Gold, infused with coffee beans
4 teaspoons hazelnut liqueur
.5 ounces Bitter Bianco
2 teaspoons coconut palm honey
2 ounces coconut water
2 drops chocolate bitters

Ahead of cocktail hour, soak the coffee beans in Johnnie Walker Gold for 12 hours, or overnight. Discard the coffee beans once the whiskey is infused with coffee aroma.

Mix all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake it up. Strain into a round-bottom flask. Serve the flask in a shallow glass bowl lined with dry or crushed ice.

AMALFI COAST

Limoncello Mojito

“This enticing cocktail is the refreshing start to your holiday on the Amalfi Coast,” says Fabio Iacomino, head bartender of Casa Angelina. “A wonderful blend of the Amalfi Coast’s sweet-and-sour flavors with the one-of-a kind Sfusato Amalfitano lemon — indeed one of treasures of our divine coast.”

Cut-up lemon triangles with peels
1 spoon of white sugar
7 Mint leaves
1.4 ounces amber rum (Havana 7 is recommended)
1.4 ounces limoncello liqueur
Splash of soda water
Lemon slice or small sprig of mint for garnish

Put about four small lemon triangle wedges in a glass with the sugar and muddle. Add mint, crushed ice, rum and limoncello and stir. Fill the rest of the glass with more crushed ice and top off with soda water. Garnish with a lemon slice or mint sprig.

PUERTO RICO

Coco For U

Since summer never ends in Puerto Rico, order a mojito at the grand dame Condado Vanderbilt Hotel to savor locally grown fruit and tasty island rum.

1 ounce coconut cream
1 ounce simple syrup
2 ounces Bacardi Oakheart
Shaved coconut
Mint leaves

Mix the coconut cream, simple syrup and rum in a glass. Top with shaved coconut and mint leaves for garnish.

BARCELONA

Bankers Martini

In Banker’s Bar, the original security boxes on the ceiling are remnants of Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona’s former life as a bank. Also showcasing its history is this martini, which has been on the menu since the bar’s opening and is its most popular order, the hotel says.

2 ounces housemade Ketel One vodka infused with cardamom
1 ounce housemade ginger syrup
5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons egg white
Dash angostura bitters on top
Dehydrated lemon slice or ginger candy garnish

Pour all of the liquid ingredients into a shaker and shake. Then add ice and shake again. Strain into a martini glass without ice. Garnish with the dehydrated lemon slice or a ginger candy.

ABU DHABI

So Fresh, So Green

If you crave a more health-conscious alternative, try this signature libation from The Abu Dhabi EDITION’s Alba Terrace Bar.

2 ounces Absolut Blue vodka
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 ounce lemongrass syrup
4 teaspoons fresh pineapple juice or puree
3 slices of fresh cucumber, muddled

Add all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake. Strain and serve in a rocks glass.

BERMUDA

The Yellow Bird

Savor a classic rum cocktail enjoyed by visitors and locals alike at Elbow Beach Bermuda. It’s a fruity signature sip of head bartender Charles Bristol, who has been with the hotel and the Lido Complex for more than 25 years.

1 ounce Bacardi Silver
.5 ounces Galliano
1 ounce banana liqueur
4 ounces pineapple juice
Sliced pineapple, orange and maraschino cherry

Combine Bacardi, banana liqueur and pineapple juice together in a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Strain into a glass filled with ice. Float Galliano on top. Garnish with a cherry and a sliced pineapple and orange.

DALLAS

Dean’s Signature Margarita

One of our favorite hotel rituals takes place in The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas’ lobby every evening, when complimentary fresh guacamole and chips are doled out and tastes of chef Dean Fearing’s mouthwatering margaritas are poured. It’s a flavorful Texas welcome.

1.5 ounces Cabo Wabo Blanco Tequila
.25 ounces fresh squeezed lime juice
.25 ounces damiana liqueur (a flowering shrub native to Texas)
1 teaspoon organic agave nectar

Fill a large shaker tin with ice. Add ingredients and shake vigorously until the tin is frosted and beaded with sweat. Serve over ice in a glass garnished with lime and salt.

ARUBA

Cadushi Cocktail

The Ritz-Carlton, Aruba’s subtly sweet, thirst-quenching tipple is inspired by the abundant cactus that grows on the island’s desert terrain.

1 ounce cactus puree
.5 ounces lime juice
.5 ounces simple syrup
1 ounce white rum
.5 ounces triple sec
2 ounces club soda, or 1 ounce soda and 1 ounce Sprite
Wedges of lime and a maraschino cherry to garnish
Cactus puree

Mix the cactus puree, lime juice, simple syrup, rum and triple sec in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a glass of ice. Top with club soda (or optional Sprite) and garnish with a wedge of lime and a cherry.

FLORIDA GULF COAST

Beach Hair Don’t Care

You can practically feel the sugar-white sand and turquoise water along Northwest Florida’s Scenic Highway 30A when imbibing this drink from WaterColor Inn’s FOOW restaurant. The playful yet refined cocktail doesn’t take itself too seriously but delivers the colorful flavors of the coast.

2 ounces RumHaven coconut rum
.25 ounces banana liqueur
1 ounce orange juice
.5 ounces lime juice
.5 ounces lemon juice
Salt the rim of a rocks glass

Pour all ingredients into a shaker and shake vigorously. Strain over ice into salt-rimmed glass. Garnish with an edible flower for some tropical flair.

BUENOS AIRES

Teseo

“Teseo resembles the iconic malbec wine with a sweet twist,” says Pedro Giustinian, head bartender at Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires’ Pony Line bar. It’s the bar’s most famous cocktail.

2 ounces gin
1 ounce Malamado wine
.8 ounces lemon juice
.5 ounces pomegranate juice
3 drops of lavender
2 ounces tonic water

Fill a wine glass with ice. Pour in the lemon and pomegranate juices, wine and gin. Add the lavender and then the tonic water.

BOSTON

Bee’s Knees

“As a historic Boston hotel that dates back to 1912, we like to nod to the city’s past on our restaurant menu, like offering our version of the Bee’s Knees, a Prohibition-era cocktail,” says JP Cote, director of food and beverage at Fairmont Copley Plaza. “We keep it authentically local to New England to celebrate the region, using gin produced in Vermont and creating our own syrup with honey from our rooftop beehives.”

2 ounces Barr Hill Gin
.75 ounces lemon juice
.75 ounces honey syrup
Garnish with a bay leaf

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake, strain and pour into a coupe cocktail glass. Garnish with a bay leaf. To serve it like the Boston hotel, use a bear-shaped jar and garnish it with a honey dipper.

MANILA

Okadapolitan

As its name hints, the ruby-red tipple at Okada Manila mimics a Cosmopolitan. But it’s a more mature take with a fruity sweet-and-sour taste.

1.5 ounces 42Below Vodka
1 ounce Cointreau
1 teaspoon Monin cassis syrup
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 teaspoons cranberry juice
2 dashes aromatic bitters

Rim the glass with grenadine syrup and dip in a plate with granulated brown sugar. Shake all ingredients and pour into the cocktail glass. Garnish with 7 slices of red apple with holes.

CHENGDU, CHINA

Sichuan Mule

The Temple House’s JING Bar brings Chengdu’s iconic spicy Sichuan flavors into this fresh mule bursting with citrus and fizz. It’s one to make in the spring and summer.

1.5 ounces ginger-and-pepper-infused vodka
15 mint leaves
4 lime wedges
1 teaspoon simple syrup
Ginger beer
Mint sprig garnish

Fill your mug (or glass) with crushed ice and add infused vodka. Squeeze the limes into the mug. Top everything off with ginger beer. Give it a stir and add a mint sprig for garnish.

NEW YORK CITY

La Dame de Coeur

“The name of this smoky scotch Manhattan, ‘Heart of a Woman,’ fittingly speaks to its bold, strong and addictive nature,” says its creator, Baccarat Hotel New York bar and spirits director Antoine Hodge. “It features many layers of flavors that build the unique complexity of this inspired variation of the celebrated Manhattan cocktail. Just like its namesake, there is nothing else like it.”

2 ounces scotch
1 ounce vermouth
.75 ounces Italian aperitif
4 dashes orange bitters
2 dashes Angostora bitters

Mix all the ingredients together and serve in a martini glass. Garnish with orange zest. When this is prepared at Baccarat Hotel New York, the glass is lightly sprayed with vermouth to elevate the experience.

TOKYO

Origami

“Origami is made with domestic Japanese draft gin and Satsuma mandarin juice,” says Takamichi Tsubota, bartender of The Capitol Hotel Tokyu. “It is served in an Edo kiriko glass designed with kumadori — a style of makeup used in Kabuki theater. The sweet, citrusy orange juice blends into the sharp gin base, bringing together Tokyo’s finest flavors for you to enjoy.”

4 teaspoons gin
4 teaspoons orange juice
4 teaspoons Campari

Pour all ingredients in a glass and mix with a bar spoon.

CARTAGENA

The D

Colombia is the birthplace of aguardiente, an anise-flavored liqueur, and Conrad Cartagena’s upscale lobby bar, Son Y Ron, serves the country’s quintessential drink with warming star anise and lime.

2 ounces of Aguardiente Antioqueño
Juice from half a lime
Star anise for garnish

Fill a tall glass with crushed or crescent ice, pour in all ingredients, give it a quick stir and garnish with star anise.

THE BERKSHIRES

Gilded Age Cocktail

Created in 2014, this original concoction reflects Blantyre’s surroundings — the Berkshires is home to many of the last-remaining gilded-age mansions in the country. The golden-hued cocktail is inspired by the gilded, Beaux Arts scroll of the late 1890s.

1 brown sugar cube
Pimm’s
Champagne
Orange peel garnish

In a champagne glass, place the brown sugar cube and cover it halfway with Pimm’s. Fill the rest of the glass with champagne. Using a citrus peeler, form an elongated peel by going around a fully ripened orange, allowing the zest to spray into the glass.

PARIS

Paris, Paris

“At Hotel Lutetia, Bar Josephine identifies with one of the most liberal, original, fantastic and emancipated icons of the Roaring Twenties,” says Nicola Battafarano, head bartender about the former guest. “Josephine Baker and her musical soul have two loves: ‘Mon Pays et Paris.’” This cocktail pays tribute to Baker’s Paris.

1.5 ounces vodka
4 teaspoons citrus shrub
4 teaspoons St-Germain liqueur
5 ounces Taittinger champagne

Pour the vodka, citrus shrub and St-Germain into a cocktail glass and stir. Top it with Taittinger champagne.

DOHA

Bell Pepper Margarita

Created specially for Morimoto Doha in Mondrian Doha, this fiery drink is the most popular selection on the cocktail menu.

1.2 ounces chilli-infused Jose Cuervo
.8 ounces Cointreau
4 teaspoons bell pepper juice
4 teaspoons lime juice
2 teaspoons agave syrup
Lemon peel garnish

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake well and double strain into glass. Garnish with a lemon peel.

JAMAICA

Liz’s Rum Punch

“I love drinking and making our signature Liz’s Rum Punch for guests,” says bartender Stewart Kerr, who has been working at Round Hill Hotel And Villas‘ Beach Bar for the past 30 years. “As it is named for Round Hill’s late co-founder Liz Pringle, who embodied Caribbean glamour and grace, this rum punch is the perfect way to capture to spirit of Jamaica and honor the memory of this vibrant and extraordinary woman. It is a favorite welcome drink of our guests and it is perfect for any at-home occasion.”

.75 ounces Appleton Rum
.75 ounces Coruba Dark Rum
.5 ounces lime juice
.25 ounces clear syrup
1 ounce pineapple juice
.25 ounces diced Scotch bonnet pepper

Shake all ingredients together and serve over ice. Garnish with a pineapple slice.

SAN DIEGO

The Aviara Blossom

Park Hyatt Aviara Resort crafts this floral vodka cocktail but also injects Golden State fruit flavors like peach and orange.

1.5 ounces Ketel One Botanical Peach and Orange Blossom
.5 ounces Aperol
.25 ounces lavender syrup
1 ounce ginger ale
Dash of rhubarb bitters
Muddled orange and lemon
Edible flowers for garnish

Muddle orange and lemon in cocktail shaker. Fill the cocktail shaker with vodka, Aperol, syrup, rhubarb bitter and ginger ale; add ice and shake. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with edible flowers.

CHICAGO

Chamomile Cobbler

For a summer sipper, try this take on the classic sherry cobbler from The Langham, Chicago‘s Travelle. The low-alcohol drink uses manzanilla, a refreshing variety of sherry.

3 ounces chamomile-infused manzanilla sherry
.75 ounces eucalyptus honey syrup
.25 ounces fresh lemon juice
2 dashes orange bitters

For the chamomile-infused manzanilla sherry: Infuse one bag of chamomile tea for 7 ounces of manzanilla. Do not apply any heat to this infusion to avoid bringing any unwanted bitterness. Infuse for 72 hours for optimal extraction. If you are short on time, stir vigorously the chamomile in the Manzanilla for couple minutes.

For the drink: Pour all ingredient in your shaker, add ice and shake. Pour over crushed ice and garnish with an orange slice and some spring flowers.

LISBON

Cane

This libation from Altis Avenida Hotel’s Rossio Gastrobar hits sweet, fruity and slightly acidic notes. It riffs on the Old Fashioned but creatively employs local products, says head bartender Flavi Andrade. The brown buttered cachaça uses sheep’s butter from nearby Azeitão and red-and-green streaked apples from Palmela.

2 ounces of brown buttered cachaça
2 teaspoons of housemade apple soda
1 housemade bourbon lump
2 dashes of chocolate bitters

For the sugar lump (makes 40 lumps):
For every 150 grams of sugar, use 2 tablespoons of bourbon.

A day before you make the cocktail, put the sugar in a container. Pour .5 ounces of bourbon and stir until little by little it creates the appearance of moist sand. Add another .5 ounces of bourbon and continue mixing until smooth. Place the sugar inside a mold and press it with parchment paper. Let it dry overnight.

For the apple soda:
4 cups of water
1 streaked apple
2 cinnamon sticks

Cut the green apple into 4 pieces and remove the seeds. Put the apple and cinnamon in the pan with the water. Allow it to boil for 15 to 20 minutes. Let it cool a little and then put it in the blender. Remove the cinnamon sticks and beat all the other boiled ingredients to obtain a kind of puree. Strain it in a super bag and put it in the refrigerator. Once it’s cool, use a whipping siphon to give it bubbles.

For the brown buttered cachaça:
25 ounces cachaça
1 tablet of butter

In a glass container with screw cap or airtight top, place the cachaça and reserve. Put the butter in a pan and put it on the stove over medium heat. The butter will start to melt and foam. Stir until it starts to turn brown. A slight caramel will form on the bottom of the pan. Remove it from the fire, pour it into the container with the cachaça, cover it and give it a good shake. Let it cool for half an hour before taking the refrigerator and letting it sit for another hour. A thick layer of fat will form over the cachaça. Remove the butter layer and strain the cachaça with a coffee filter or cloth strainer. Keep cool.

For the drink:
Place all ingredients in an Old Fashioned glass. Add ice cubes and stir with a bar spoon.

LONDON

The Smoking Old Fashioned

This classic is as elegant as its home, The Milestone Hotel & Residences. The whiskey has been barrel-aged for 60 days in Canadian maple syrup and vodka. And The Stables Bar presents it on a silver tray covered with a glass dome filled with smoke from wood chips coated in apple molasses, which creates a slightly sweet, fragrant scent. When the dome is lifted and the smoke drifts into the air, your senses are awakened for the drink.

1.5 ounces whiskey, rum or tequila
1 teaspoon orange oleo saccharum bitters
1 Luxardo cocktail cherry for garnish

In a shaker glass, stir liquid ingredients together. Strain over an ice ball or large ice cube into a crystal tumbler. Garnish with a Luxardo cherry. To create smoke, smoke with wood chips coated with apple molasses.

SINGAPORE

Bob’s Old Fashioned

This rendition of a classic is an ode to Capella Singapore’s rich heritage. It carries hints of Asian spices and features the Five-Star hotel’s own Navegante rum.

1.7 ounces Navegante rum
1 teaspoon sugar syrup
1 teaspoon allspice dram (overproof rum, brown sugar, allspice berry and cinnamon)
3 drops Angostura bitters
1 drop tobacco tincture (optional)

Place a large ice cube in an Old Fashioned glass. Combine rum, syrup, angostura bitters, allspice dram and cigar tincture. Garnish with orange twist.