Moscow Mule
Vodka, lime and ginger beer. A deliberate 1940s marketing invention that turned out to be a genuinely good drink.
Pina Colada
Rum, pineapple and cream of coconut. The confusion between cream of coconut and coconut cream ruins more of these than anything else.
Mai Tai
Two rums, lime, orgeat and curaçao. No pineapple juice, no grenadine, no umbrella required.
Mojito
Rum, lime, mint and soda — built in the glass, and ruined more often by over-muddling than by anything else.
Daiquiri
Rum, lime and sugar. The simplest real test of whether a bar knows what it is doing.
Paloma
Mexico’s actual favourite tequila drink. Grapefruit, lime, salt — lighter and more drinkable than a margarita.
Margarita
Tequila, lime and orange liqueur in balance — a sour so well built it survived decades of being made badly.