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 cocktail made with mezcal, ginger wort, lime juice, passion fruit purée, agave syrup, cucumber, candied ginger, and Tajín
A tiki cocktail made with white rum, pineapple rum, dark rum, triple sec, lime juice, lemon juice, Green Chartreuse, velvet falernum liqueur, cream of coconut, and mint
A modern cocktail made with gin, lemon juice, Amaro Montenegro, grapefruit oleo-saccharum, egg white, aromatic bitters, and grapefruit
A modern classic cocktail made with mezcal, Yellow Chartreuse, Aperol, and lime juice
A St. Patrick’s Day cocktail made with whiskey, sweet vermouth, orange curaçao, orange bitters, and cherry
A New Year’s Eve cocktail made with sparkling wine, brandy, pear liqueur, aromatic bitters, and lemon
Embrace the winter spirit with these cozy cold-weather recipes.
Learn how to make homemade simple syrups, shrubs, and spreads to use in cocktails.
