Get geeky with these cocktail recipes inspired by fictional worlds.
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 modern classic cocktail made with vanilla vodka, passion fruit purée, passion fruit liqueur, vanilla syrup, lime juice, and passion fruit
A modern cocktail made with barleywine ale, cachaça, simple syrup, and lime
A tiki cocktail made with mezcal, dark rum, lime juice, orange curaçao, orgeat syrup, lime, and mint
A modern cocktail made with gin, elderberry shrub, cherry liqueur, lemon juice, hibiscus, lavender, & oak bitters, ginger bitters, and seltzer water
A spring cocktail made with mezcal, rhubarb liqueur, lemon juice, rich simple syrup, celery bitters, rhubarb, and soda water
A modern cocktail made with mezcal, lime juice, blue curaçao, pear brandy, cinnamon syrup, Suze, and orange
Embrace the winter spirit with these cozy cold-weather recipes.
Learn how to make homemade simple syrups, shrubs, and spreads to use in cocktails.
