Get geeky with these cocktail recipes inspired by your favorite fandoms.
Hello there! I’m Kendall, the craft cocktail connoisseur and geeky drinks enthusiast behind Novel Nightcaps.
After several years of taste-testing my way through my library of cocktail books—exploring everything from timeless classics to modern riffs and seasonal creations—I found my niche in geeky drinks: the ones inspired by fandoms, literature, pop culture, and fantasy that invite a bit of magic into the glass. Now, whether I’m dreaming up a new concoction based on an author’s fictional world or unearthing a past bartender’s oddball experiment, my favorite part of bartending is diving into ingredient pairings with unique origin stories that make them fun to revisit again and again.
Here within my recipe archive, you’ll find hundreds of cocktails I’ve tried (and some originals I’ve developed myself), complete with histories, techniques, and tasting notes—all written for fellow imbibers who appreciate well-crafted drinks and the story behind them too.
Cheers,
If geeky drinks aren’t your thing, check out a few of the highest-rated vintage, modern, and seasonal cocktail recipes I’ve tried.
A spring cocktail made with sake, cherry liqueur, gin, grenadine, triple sec, lemon juice, and cherry
A vintage cocktail made with gin, cherry liqueur, lemon juice, dry vermouth, orange bitters, and lemon
A tiki cocktail made with white rum, ginger liqueur, lime juice, lemon juice, dark rum, velvet falernum liqueur, cinnamon syrup, lime, and candied ginger
An autumn cocktail made with apple cider, bourbon, heavy cream, Licor 43, demerara syrup, and nutmeg
A modern cocktail made with mezcal, ginger wort, lime juice, passion fruit purée, agave syrup, cucumber, candied ginger, and Tajín
A modern cocktail made with bourbon, grapefruit juice, honey syrup, and rosemary & peppercorn bitters
Cool off with these refreshing cocktail recipes perfect for summertime.
Learn how to make homemade simple syrups, shrubs, and spreads to use in cocktails.
