10 Movie Cocktails You Can Make With Kokto Recipes

You have picked the film, found something to eat and settled in for the evening. Choosing a drink can be just as straightforward if you start with the bottles, juice and fresh ingredients already in your kitchen.

These ten cocktails all appear or are mentioned in films, and every one has an existing Kokto recipe. The measures below follow those recipe pages and make one serving. The film connections tell you where the drinks appear; the recipes are Kokto's published versions, with their own proportions and preparation methods.

Start with the ingredients you have

A White Russian needs vodka, coffee liqueur and cream. An Old Fashioned uses bourbon, syrup and bitters. If you already have gin and lemons, the Tom Collins and French 75 share a useful starting point, although they need different sparkling ingredients and different measures.

Check the complete ingredient list before choosing. The Singapore Sling calls for several liqueurs, while the Gibson depends on a cocktail onion. Having the base spirit is only part of the preparation.

Ten cocktails with a place on screen

1. White Russian from The Big Lebowski

The White Russian is closely tied to the Dude in The Big Lebowski (1998). For a home movie night, its practical appeal is the short ingredient list and a method that happens entirely in the serving glass.

For one White Russian, measure 50 ml vodka, 25 ml coffee liqueur and 25 ml heavy cream.

Fill a chilled rocks glass with fresh ice. Add the vodka and coffee liqueur, then stir for 10–15 seconds. Slowly pour the cold cream over the back of a spoon. Leave the pale layer on top or stir once to combine, then serve straight away. No garnish is needed.

2. French 75 from Casablanca

The French 75 is ordered at Rick's Café Américain in Casablanca (1942). It is a useful choice when you have a chilled bottle of Champagne ready to open and want a citrus-led drink in a small stemmed glass.

For one French 75, use 30 ml gin, 15 ml fresh lemon juice, 15 ml simple syrup and 60 ml cold Champagne.

Shake the gin, lemon and syrup with ice for 10–12 seconds. Strain into a chilled flute without serving ice, then slowly add the Champagne. Give it one very gentle bottom-to-top stir. Keep the Champagne out of the shaker; it goes into the glass at the end. This recipe has no garnish.

3. Manhattan from Some Like It Hot

Some Like It Hot (1959) gives the Manhattan an unusual mixing vessel: a hot-water bottle during the train journey. At home, use a clean mixing glass and a chilled cocktail glass for the Kokto version.

For one Manhattan, measure 50 ml rye whiskey, 20 ml sweet red vermouth and 1 dash aromatic bitters. A cocktail cherry is optional.

Add the three liquid ingredients to the mixing glass, fill it about three-quarters with ice and stir for 20–30 seconds. Strain into the chilled serving glass without ice and add the cherry if using. Check the vermouth label before measuring: this recipe calls for sweet vermouth.

4. Old Fashioned from Crazy, Stupid, Love.

Jacob prepares an Old Fashioned in Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011), giving the mixing itself a moment on screen. Kokto's recipe uses simple syrup, so there is no sugar cube to dissolve as there is in the film.

For one Old Fashioned, use 60 ml bourbon, 7.5 ml simple syrup and 2 dashes aromatic bitters. A wide piece of orange peel is optional.

Add the syrup and bitters to a chilled rocks glass. Pour in the bourbon and stir briefly, then add a large ice cube and stir for 20–30 seconds. If using the orange peel, squeeze it over the drink to release its oils, rub it around the rim and place it beside the ice.

5. Mojito from Die Another Day

Bond's drinks extend beyond Martinis. The Mojito appears in Die Another Day (2002), making it a fitting choice when your kitchen already has fresh mint and limes.

For one Mojito, use 45 ml white rum, 20 ml fresh lime juice, 2 teaspoons white cane sugar and 6 pieces of fresh mint, specified as tender sprigs on the recipe page. Have soda water ready for a small initial splash and a final top-up.

Put the sugar, lime juice and mint in a Collins glass. Press the mint gently, keeping the leaves mostly intact. Add a little soda and fill the glass with ice, then pour in the rum. Top with soda, stir lightly from bottom to top and finish with a fresh mint sprig and lime slice. The soda is a top-up instruction, so the recipe does not give it a fixed millilitre amount.

6. Singapore Sling from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

The Singapore Sling gets a mention in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998). This is the most involved ingredient list here, so it suits a home bar that already has the required liqueurs.

For one Singapore Sling, measure 30 ml gin, 15 ml cherry liqueur, 7.5 ml triple sec, 7.5 ml Bénédictine, 120 ml pineapple juice, 15 ml lime juice, 10 ml grenadine and 1 dash aromatic bitters.

Shake everything with ice for 12–15 seconds. Strain into a chilled hurricane glass over fresh ice, then garnish with a pineapple wedge and cocktail cherry. Cherry liqueur and grenadine are separate ingredients in this recipe, so check that you have both before starting.

7. Cosmopolitan from Sex and the City

The Cosmopolitan's screen history includes the 2008 Sex and the City film as well as the television series. It is a convenient option if vodka and triple sec are already in your cupboard and you have cranberry and lime juice to hand.

For one Cosmopolitan, use 40 ml vodka, 20 ml triple sec, 30 ml cranberry juice and 15 ml fresh lime juice.

Chill a coupe while you measure. Fill a shaker about two-thirds with fresh ice, add the four ingredients and shake hard for 10–15 seconds. Empty any chilling ice from the coupe and double-strain the drink into it. Finish with the recipe's lime wheel or twist if using a garnish.

8. Gibson from North by Northwest

Roger Thornhill orders a Gibson during the train sequence in North by Northwest (1959). The small cocktail onion is worth checking for before choosing this drink: it is a required ingredient on Kokto's page.

For one Gibson, measure 60 ml gin and 30 ml dry vermouth, with 1 cocktail onion.

Following the linked recipe, stir the measured ingredients in a mixing glass with solid ice for 20–25 seconds. Strain into a thoroughly chilled coupe and finish with the cocktail onion. Keep to this recipe's proportions when measuring; it contains a substantial measure of vermouth alongside the gin.

9. Tom Collins from Meet the Parents

The Tom Collins is part of Jack Byrnes's drinks repertoire in Meet the Parents (2000). Gin, lemon, syrup and soda make it a practical tall drink when you want something you can prepare with a small home-bar selection.

For one Tom Collins, use 50 ml gin, 25 ml fresh lemon juice, 15 ml simple syrup and 75 ml cold soda water.

Shake the gin, lemon and syrup with ice for 10–12 seconds. Strain into a chilled Collins glass filled with fresh ice and slowly add the soda. Lift the ice once from the bottom with a bar spoon to combine. Have a lemon wheel ready if following the garnish listed on the full recipe page.

10. Harvey Wallbanger from Game Night

In Game Night (2018), Max asks for a Harvey Wallbanger during a bar encounter. The name is familiar, but it is worth opening the recipe before mixing: Kokto publishes a shaken version served in a coupe.

For one Harvey Wallbanger, measure 60 ml orange juice, 45 ml vodka, 15 ml vanilla herbal liqueur and 1 dash aromatic bitters.

Add all four ingredients to a shaker with ice and shake hard for 10–15 seconds. Fine-strain into a chilled coupe and serve without a garnish. Use the vanilla herbal liqueur specified by the recipe's ingredient link; the broad word “herbal” alone is not enough to choose a substitute.

Get ready before pressing play

Choose a drink whose complete ingredient list fits what you have. Measure the ingredients, prepare the garnish and chill the serving glass before you start the film. Keep cream, Champagne and soda cold until needed, and add sparkling ingredients at the stage described in the individual recipe.

If somebody would prefer an alcohol-free drink, choose a separate recipe from Kokto's alcohol-free collection. The ten recipes above contain alcohol and are intended for adults of legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly.

Sources and recipe notes

The linked Kokto pages supply the ingredient quantities and preparation methods. These are Kokto's published recipes, including its stated house variations; they are not measurements recovered from film props.

Film references were checked against Cocktails of the Movies, published by Prestel, its publisher-hosted sample, and reporting by Eater on Casablanca, Esquire on Crazy, Stupid, Love. and Wine Enthusiast on the Cosmopolitan's screen appearances. The Cary Comes Home Festival documents the Gibson connection, and Raffles discusses the Singapore Sling's appearance in the film adaptation.