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 sparkling rosé, elderflower liqueur, lemon juice, rhubarb bitters, strawberry, and lemon
A vintage cocktail made with gin, lemon juice, cherry liqueur, crème de violette, and cherry
A tiki cocktail made with white rum, orange curaçao, dark rum, lime juice, orgeat syrup, and mint
A summer cocktail made with white rum, lime juice, simple syrup, toasted coconut, pineapple, & allspice bitters, and lime
A tiki cocktail made with dark rum, ginger syrup, lime juice, pineapple juice, aromatic bitters, candied ginger, and lime
A tiki cocktail made with mezcal, dark rum, lime juice, orange curaçao, orgeat syrup, lime, and mint
Welcome the warmth of spring with these fresh and flavorful cocktails.
Learn how to make homemade simple syrups, shrubs, and spreads to use in cocktails.
