The Most Popular Cocktail In Every Country In The World

Rum, mint and lime proves a global favourite

Our research found that the Mojito is the most popular cocktail in the world, with over half (56%) of countries around the world searching for the blend of white rum, mint, sugar, lime and soda water more than any other concoction. An old Cuban original, it’s minty, citrusy, and refreshing. And whilst the Mojito can be a bit of a pain to make due to the ‘muddling’ involved, it is a classic drink for a reason and a great cocktail for sipping on the beach or at a barbecue.

Another firm favourite after the Mojito is the timeless Martini, which featured 42 times across the data – we cannot account for whether the preference is shaken or stirred… There is a reason the Martini is such a popular drink: it is stylish, refreshing, timeless and the gin and vermouth mix can be drunk either as an early-evening aperitif, post-dinner digestif or midday tipple.

Following the Martini in popularity is the Mimosa. Composed of champagne and chilled citrus juice – usually orange, the cocktail is traditionally served in a tall champagne flute at brunch, weddings, or as part of the business or first class service on some passenger railways and airlines.

As the map above shows, the classic Mojito pretty much stole the show. So we also found out which was the second most popular cocktail after the white rum-based tipple…

Aperol Spritz

While some cocktails are simply just tasty concoctions whipped up on the spot, others are entwined with a country’s culture.

A perfect example is the Aperol Spritz. The Italian cocktail is built around Aperol, a semi-sweet, slightly bitter, 11% aperitif from northern Italy. It is an easy 3-2-1 mix of three parts prosecco, two parts Aperol, and one splash of soda water – and there you have it, Italy’s (unofficial) national drink.

However, the Aperol Spritz is not just drunk in Italy; its popularity has spread out into nearby countries with the bright orange tipple ranking second for search volume in Slovenia, Luxembourg, Romania, Hungary, Finland, Switzerland, Denmark, Poland and Slovenia.

What’s more, the first map revealed that Ukraine, Malta, Greece, Germany and Lithuania all searched for Aperol Spritz more than any other cocktail.

Interestingly, the Aperol Spritz was not the most searched for – or even the second most searched for – cocktail in its native country, with the Mimosa securing first place and the Mojito taking second. But maybe with the orange cocktail featuring on pretty much every drinks list in Italy, residents are looking to sip on something else for a change.

Pulling away from the rest of the continent with regards to their taste in tipples is the United Kingdom and Ireland, with both countries searching for the Espresso Martini above anything else. The ideal caffeine pick-me-up to fill that happy hour void, the UK averages 75,000 monthly searches alone for the cocktail.

If you like Pina Coladas…

For drinkers who like to take their taste buds on a trip, then the Pina Colada is the ultimate drink. Originating in Puerto Rico, the coconut and pineapple cocktail immediately transports you to a deckchair underneath the mid-afternoon sun.

Therefore, it is hardly surprising that the cocktail has its own song and that there is a dedicated National Pina Colada Day in the United States that is celebrated on 10th July each year (despite the recognition the cocktail didn’t rank first or second in the USA).

Literally named ‘strained pineapple’, the tipple calls for fresh fruit: juicy pineapple chunks and creamy coconut flesh. So, it may be of no surprise then that the Pina Colada was the most searched for cocktail in countries brimming with these delicious fruits, including Belize, and Jamaica in Northern America. It also ranked second in the Caribbean islands of Haiti, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Outside of its continent of origin, Guyana, Suriname, Fiji, Mozambique, Seychelles and the Maldives are all coastal countries and islands searching for the Pina Colada above all other cocktails. And further afield, Armenia, Lithuania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic are obviously all yearning for a taste of the Caribbean too, with the tipple also being the second most searched in these countries.

You say tomato, I say Bloody Mary

Brunch wouldn’t be the same without a Bloody Mary and it has been a staple of late-morning menus for years.

What is interesting about this tipple though, is that no Bloody Mary is the same – every mixologist has their own recipe. Obviously, tomato juice is non-negotiable, but some add celery salt, some do not. Worcestershire sauce is common, as is lemon juice, whilst olive brine and garlic powder are less used in today’s recipes. Those that like their concoctions to be fiery incorporate a Tabasco burn, but for the less adventurous, a sprinkle of cayenne pepper will do.

Our data shows that the spicy drink is clearly a favourite in Asia, with people in Bhutan, Armenia and Brunei searching for Bloody Mary’s more than any other cocktail. Iraq, Laos, Israel and the United Arab Emirates all had the tomato-based cocktail in second place.

The Bloody Mary is also the second most popular cocktail in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Palestine. Perhaps this ‘morning-after’ drink is needed after one too many of the countries’ first-place Pornstar Martinis…

When life gives you limes…

Make a lime-based drink, which is exactly what Brazil and Peru did. Caipirinha is Brazil’s national cocktail, made with lime, sugar and cachaça – a spirit as integral to the country’s identity as samba, carnival and Ronaldinho.

Similarly, Peru’s Pisco Sour comprises lime juice, sugar, egg white and its national spirit, Pisco. It is the welcome drink in Peru, served for literally any occasion, and every bar and restaurant has it on its menu.

It may come as no surprise then that both countries searched for their respective national cocktail more than any other, but they’re not the only countries that like the taste of their citrusy tipples.

Neighbouring Bolivia’s second-highest search volume was for the Caipirinha (along with the Martini), and Chile’s was bordering Peru’s Pisco Sour.

Something to suit every taste…

Any good cocktail list should be varied and diverse in its offering and have a tipple to suit every palette. So, if Oceania had its own cocktail menu it would be a good one, with the countries in the continent all searching for different concoctions.

Well-known for its obsession with coffee, the caffeine ritual is so ingrained in Australian culture that it is no surprise that the Espresso Martini is the country’s most searched for cocktail – a shaken blend of vodka, fresh espresso, coffee liqueur and sugar.

Following the frothy, bittersweet tipple is the Negroni, perhaps one of the most simple yet elegant cocktails of equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and Campari. Again, perhaps not surprising with the number of Australian-made gins, vermouths and bitter digestives now available.

The tropical island of Fiji clearly favours typical beach cocktails though, with the Pina Colada taking first place and the Long Island Iced Tea and Tequila Sunrise coming in second (along with the Bloody Mary for those post-beach party hangovers).

Methodology

We created a list of the most popular cocktails around the world, which were taken from several high-quality articles and sources listing these.

Using Ahrefs, we then found the average monthly global search volume for the list of cocktails in every country of the world, with the cocktail showing the highest volume ranking first for that country. Cocktails with names that could be searched for an unrelated reason had the word cocktail added onto the search team e.g. [cosmopolitan cocktail] and [painkiller cocktail].

The search volume data used shows how many times per month, on average, people search for the target keyword in each country.

Data correct as of July 2021.

https://www.businessinsider.com/best-selling-cocktails-in-the-world-2019-1?r=US&IR=T
https://vinepair.com/articles/50-most-popular-cocktails-world-2017/
https://www.diffordsguide.com/g/1127/worlds-top-100-cocktails/41-60