Low-ABV Cocktails

37 drinks · Updated October 2026

Low-ABV cocktails use lower-strength ingredients or smaller amounts of spirits to reduce alcohol concentration compared with many spirit-led drinks. Sherry, vermouth, beer and wine often provide the base. The Bamboo combines sherry and dry vermouth with bitters, while the Adonis pairs sherry with sweet vermouth. The Bellini combines sparkling wine and peach purée. There is no single universal cocktail threshold for this label, and serving size still matters: a large wine-based drink can contain meaningful alcohol. Low-ABV therefore describes a relative approach to recipe construction, not an alcohol-free category.

• Addington

  Classic (printed in Harry Craddock's Savoy Cocktail Book, 1930)

  1 oz Dry vermouth 1 oz Sweet vermouth 1 oz Soda water

• Adonis

  Waldorf-Astoria, New York (1884)

  1.5 oz Fino sherry 1.5 oz Sweet vermouth 2 dashes Orange bitters

• Bamboo

  Louis Eppinger, Grand Hotel, Yokohama (c. 1890)

  1.5 oz Bianco vermouth 1.5 oz Amontillado sherry 0.5 tsp Cane sugar syrup 1 dash Orange bitters 1 dash Angostura bitters

• Bellini

  Giuseppe Cipriani, Harry's Bar, Venice (1948)

  1.75 oz White peach purée 3.25 oz Prosecco

• Black Velvet

  Brooks's Club, London (1861)

  3 oz Stout 3 oz Champagne

• Buck's Fizz

  Malachi "Pat" McGarry, Buck's Club, London (1921)

  3.25 oz Champagne 1.75 oz Orange juice

• Champagne Cocktail

  Classic (printed in Jerry Thomas's bar guide, 1862)

  1 Sugar cube 2 dashes Angostura bitters 0.25 oz Cognac 3 oz Champagne Few drops Orange liqueur (optional)

• Chrysanthemum

  Classic (printed in Hugo Ensslin's Recipes for Mixed Drinks, 1916)

  1.75 oz Dry vermouth 0.5 oz Bénédictine 4 dashes Absinthe

• Coronation

  Joseph Rose, Murray Bros.' Café, Newark, New Jersey (c. 1902)

  1.5 oz Fino sherry 1.5 oz Dry vermouth 1 tsp Maraschino liqueur 2 dashes Orange bitters

• Devil's

  Classic (printed in Hugo R. Ensslin's Recipes for Mixed Drinks, 1917)

  2 oz Tawny port 1.5 oz Dry vermouth 0.25 oz Lemon juice

• Kir

  Félix Kir, Dijon (1940s)

  0.25 oz Crème de cassis 3 oz Dry white wine

• Kir Royale

  Classic (Burgundy, France)

  0.25 oz Crème de cassis 3 oz Champagne

• Michelada

  Classic (Mexico, 1940s)

  0.5 oz Lime juice 2 dashes Hot sauce 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 5 oz Dark lager

• Mimosa

  Classic (1920s)

  2.5 oz Orange juice 2.5 oz Prosecco

• Negus

  Classic (named for Colonel Francis Negus, early 1700s)

  1.75 oz Ruby port 2 tsp Lemon juice 0.25 oz Rich simple syrup 3.5 oz Boiling water

• Old Hickory

  Classic (printed in Stanley Clisby Arthur's Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em, 1937; revived by Maxwell Britten, Maison Premiere)

  1.5 oz Sweet vermouth 1 oz Dry vermouth 4 dashes Peychaud's bitters 4 dashes Orange bitters

• Porto Flip

  Classic

  0.5 oz Brandy 1.5 oz Tawny port 0.25 oz Egg yolk

• Sangaree

  Classic (19th-century America)

  0.5 oz Brandy 0.5 oz Orange curaçao 3 oz Red wine 1 oz Orange juice 2 tsp Lemon juice 1 tsp Rich simple syrup 0.5 tsp Cinnamon syrup 0.75 oz Soda water

• Sherry Cobbler

  Classic (America, 1830s)

  1.5 oz Amontillado sherry 1.5 oz Palo cortado sherry 1 tsp Sugar Half Orange wheel Half Lemon wheel

• Sherry Flip

  Classic (printed in Jerry Thomas's Bar-Tender's Guide, 1887)

  2 oz Oloroso sherry 0.5 oz Simple syrup 1 Whole egg

• Sir Charles Punch

  Classic (printed in Esquire's Handbook for Hosts, 1949)

  1 oz Tawny port 0.5 oz Cognac 0.5 oz Dry curaçao 1 tsp Rich simple syrup

• Tip Top

  Classic (printed in Albert Stevens Crockett's Old Waldorf Bar Days, 1935)

  2 oz Dry vermouth 0.75 oz Bénédictine 2 dashes Angostura bitters

• Crimson Sour

  Natasha David, Drink Lightly (2022)

  1.5 oz Sweet vermouth 0.75 oz Lemon juice 0.75 oz Blood orange juice 0.5 oz Cacao nib Campari 0.5 oz Vanilla lactic syrup

• Erick Castro's Michelada

  Erick Castro, San Diego (2023)

  0.75 oz Lime juice 0.75 oz Simple syrup 1 pinch Sea salt 2 Orange half-wheels 0.25 oz Hot sauce 1 Mexican lager

• Oloroso and Cheerwine

  Trick Dog, San Francisco

  2 oz Oloroso sherry Cheerwine, to top

• Trick Dog Aperitif

  Trick Dog, San Francisco (2023)

  1 oz Amontillado sherry 1 oz Sweet vermouth 1 oz Gran Classico 2 dashes Orange bitters

• Lulu at Le Monocle

  Friends and Family, Oakland (2023)

  Absinthe, for spritzing 2 dashes Angostura bitters 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters 5 oz Dry sparkling wine

• Sherry Colada Highball

  Steve Schneider, Sip & Guzzle, New York (2024)

  1.5 oz Cream sherry 3 oz Coconut-pineapple seltzer

• Misticollins

  Papa San, New York (2025)

  1.5 oz Nigori sake 0.75 oz Aloe vera water 0.5 oz Mezcal 0.5 oz Olive and cucumber syrup 1 dash Simple syrup Tonic water, to top

• Bamboo Spritz

  Allison Everitt, Kiesling, Detroit (2024)

  1 oz Bianco vermouth 1 oz Manzanilla sherry 2 dashes Orange bitters 2 oz Cava 2 oz Hop water

• Future Dancer

  Stephen Rowe, Dario, Minneapolis (2025)

  2 oz Dry vermouth 0.75 oz Lime juice (heavy) 0.5 oz Rich simple syrup 3 dashes Hierbas bitters

• Italian Greyhound

  John Gertsen, Drink, Boston

  2.5 oz Punt e Mes 3.5 oz White grapefruit juice

• Champ-Ale

  Alec Bales, Ticonderoga Club, Atlanta (2025)

  2 oz Light beer (cream ale) 2 oz Sparkling wine 1.5 oz Sweet vermouth 0.75 oz Lemon juice 0.5 oz Cane syrup (2:1)

• Sky Ladder

  Sam Johnson, Death & Co, New York (2018)

  1.5 oz Manzanilla sherry 0.75 oz Dry vermouth 0.75 oz Blanc vermouth 1 tsp Coconut liqueur 0.5 tsp Yuzu juice 1 tsp Simple syrup

• Flor de Jerez

  Joaquín Simó, Death & Co, New York (2009)

  1.5 oz Amontillado sherry 0.5 oz Jamaican rum 0.25 oz Apricot liqueur 0.75 oz Lemon juice 0.5 oz Cane sugar syrup 1 dash Angostura bitters

• Spring Green

  Kitty Gallisá, Nopa, San Francisco (2007)

  1.5 oz Manzanilla sherry 0.5 oz Green Chartreuse 0.5 oz Elderflower liqueur

• Petanque

  Andrew Bohrer, Mistral Kitchen, Seattle (2014)

  2 oz Fino sherry 1 oz Amaretto 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters