16 cocktails you've probably never heard of but should start drinking immediately

Michel Porro / Getty

• There are tons of amazing and unusual cocktails that most people don't know.
• Instead of once again going for the eggnog this holiday season, try one of the fun, relatively unknown mixed drinks we selected.

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It's the holiday season. You're at a party. And you go for the eggnog. Again.

A classic is always a solid choice, but variety is the spice of life. Sometimes, it's fun to go for a bolder, lesser-known drink, if for no other reason than to impress your dates or friends with your cocktail know-how.

Here is a list of outstanding but relatively unknown mixed drinks that you should try this holiday season.

We pulled most of the recipes from Liquor.com and Serious Eats. The cocktails using Cointreau were created by the Cointreau team.

Apple Rickey

Cointreau

To make this cocktail, muddle the apple and rosemary in a Highball glass. Then add the Cointreau and lime juice with ice, and top it off with club soda. Stir briefly and add the rosemary sprig and apple slices as garnishes.

Ingredients:

- 2 oz. Cointreau
- 1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
- 3 slices of a tart apple
- 7 leaves of fresh rosemary
- 4 oz. club soda or seltzer

Vieux Carré

Flickr/Chodhound

The Vieux Carré comes from 1930s New Orleans. There's a lot going on, but it's an incredible cocktail when mixed by a pro.

To make the drink, put all the ingredients into a rocks glass, add ice, and stir.

Ingredients:

- 3/4 oz. whiskey
- 3/4 oz. cognac
- 3/4 oz. sweet vermouth
- 1 tsp Bénédictine
- 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Hanky Panky

Flickr/sackton

The Hanky Panky originated at the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London. The vermouth and gin play off the Fernet Branca's blend of botanicals.

To make the drink, put all the ingredients into a mixing glass with ice. Stir, and then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Finally, add the garnish.

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 oz. gin
- 1 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
- 2 dashes Fernet-Branca
- 1 orange twist garnish

Americano

Flickr/edsel_

The Americano, created in the 1860s, was originally called the Milano-Torino. But it became popular during Prohibition, and so was renamed the Americano.

Add the Campari and vermouth into a rocks glass with ice. Top it off with club soda, and add the garnish on top.

Ingredients: 

- 1 1/2 oz. Campari
- 1 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
- club soda
- 1 orange twist as garnish

Blood and Sand

Flickr/bexwalton

The Blood and Sand is named after a 1922 film. It's a sweeter cocktail, and some like to sweeten it even more with extra orange juice.

To make the drink, put all the ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake, and then strain into a chilled coupe. Add the garnish to finish.

Ingredients:

- 3/4 oz. scotch whisky
- 3/4 oz. sweet vermouth
- 3/4 oz. Cherry Heering
- 3/4/ oz. orange juice
- 1 orange peel for garnish

Cointreau Mulled Cider

Cointreau

To make this cocktail, boil the cider and fresh ingredients. Then cover and remove from the heat. Pour the Cointreau in and steep for 20 minutes. Add a cinnamon stick and apple slice as garnish.

The recipe below serves six, making this a perfect choice for a cozy soirée.

Ingredients:

- 12 oz. Cointreau
- 6 oz. fresh lime juice
- 32 oz. cider
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 2 whole star anises
- 2 whole cloves
- 2 oranges (thinly sliced)
- 1 apple (thinly sliced)

Bijou

Flickr/ginsnob

"Bijou" means jewel in French. Legend has it that this cocktail was called bijou because the ingredients represent jewels: gin for diamonds, vermouth for rubies, and chartreuse for emeralds.

To make the cocktail, add all the ingredients into glass, and then fill with ice. Stir the drink, and then strain it into a new glass. Add the garnish at the end.

Ingredients:

- 1 oz. gin
- 1 oz. sweet vermouth
- 3/4 oz. Green Chartreuse
- 1/4 oz. Campari
- 1 orange twist as garnish

Cointreau Cranberry

Cointreau

To make the cocktail, combine all ingredients with ice into a tin shaker. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. And finally, garnish the drink with an orange twist.

Ingredients:

- 2 oz. Cointreau
- 1 oz. fresh lime juice
- 2 bar spoons of cranberry sauce

Corpse Reviver No. 2

Wikimedia

Gin lovers, rejoice. This one goes back to the heyday of gin cocktails. While most have gone out of fashion, the Corpse Reviver No. 2 remains a great choice.

First, rinse a chilled coupe glass with absinthe and then put it aside. Add the other ingredients into a shaker and fill it with ice. Shake it all up, and then strain it into the absinthe-rinsed glass.

Ingredients:

- Absinthe rinse
- 3/4 oz. gin
- 3/4 oz. Cointreau
- 3/4 oz. Lillet Blanc
- 3/4 oz. lemon juice

Aviation

Flickr/ginsnob

This is the only blue alcoholic drink you should ever drink. Period. The color comes from the Creme de Violette, which adds light floral notes to the gin drink.

To make the drink, add all the ingredients into a shaker and fill it with ice. Shake it up, and then strain into a cocktail glass. Add a cherry or lemon peel as garnish to kick it up a notch.

Ingredients:

- 2 oz. gin
- 1/2 oz. maraschino liqueur
- 1/4 oz. Crème de violette or Crème Yvette
- 3/4 oz. lemon juice
- 1 cherry or lemon peel as garnish

Winter White Lady

Cointreau

To make the drink, combine the Cointreau, the Botanist Gin, fresh lemon juice, and Aromatic Bitters into a tin can. Shake it up and strain into a coupe glass. And finally, garnish with a lemon twist.

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 oz. Cointreau
- 1 1/2 oz gin
- 1 oz. fresh lemon juice
- 9 drops Aromatic bitters
- 1 egg white

Old Pal

Flickr/patruby

This is a classic, simple drink. The dominant whiskey and Campari are toned down by the dry vermouth. Experts warn, however, that if you've never had Campari, then you should not make this your first experience.

To make the cocktail, fill a mixing glass two-thirds full with ice; add whiskey, dry vermouth, and Campari. Stir it for about 20 seconds, and then strain into a cocktail glass. Finally, add a lemon peel as garnish.

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 oz. bourbon or rye whiskey
- 3/4 oz. dry vermouth
- 3/4 oz. Campari
- 1 lemon twist as garnish

The Martinez

Wikimedia

The Martinez came before the Martini. It's good at any time of day because of its smoothness and sweetness.

To make the drink, put all the ingredients into a mixing glass, and fill it with ice. Stir until the mixture is chilled, and then strain it into a coupe glass. Add a garnish to finish it off.

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 oz. gin
- 1 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
- 1/4 oz. maraschino liqueur
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 orange twist as garnish

Ramos Gin Fizz

Flickr/stuartwebster

Here's another New Orleans gem. Henry C. Ramos, the drink's creator, originally demanded that the drink be shaken for 12 minutes. Luckily for everyone, that herculean effort is no longer required.

Put all the ingredients except the club soda into a shaker without ice. Seriously shake it up. Then add ice into the mixture and shake it up again. Strain it into a glass. And finally, pour the club soda back and forth between the empty parts of the shaker to scoop up any leftover egg white, and add it into the drink.

Ingredients:

- 2 oz. gin
- 1/2 oz. heavy cream
- 1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 oz. fresh lime juice
- 3/4 oz. simple syrup
- 3 dashes orange flower water
- 1 fresh egg white
- club soda

Clover Club

Wikimedia

This pre-Prohibition era drink was originally created at Philadelphia's Bellevue-Stratford, which at the time was a popular hang out "for literary, legal, financial, and business lights."

To make the drink, add all the ingredients into a shake with ice. Shake and then strain into a chilled glass. Add some raspberries for garnish.

Ingredients:

- 2 oz. gin
- 1 egg white
- 1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 oz. raspberry syrup
- 1-3 raspberries for garnish

The Suffering Bastard

Flickr/patruby

The Suffering Bastard was originally created as a hangover cure. We're willing to bet, however, it's more likely to give you a hangover than cure you of one.

Pour all the ingredients into a glass filled with ice, and splash more ginger ale on top. Garnish with an orange slice or a sprig of mint.

Ingredients:

- 1 oz. bourbon
- 1 oz. gin
- 1 oz. fresh lime juice
- 1 dash Angostura bitters
- 4 oz. chilled ginger ale
- 1 orange slice or sprig of mint