Get geeky with these cocktail recipes inspired by fictional worlds.
Salut! 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 beer and cachaça-based cocktail recipe created by Jon and Lindsay Yeager in Nashville, Tennessee
The Queen’s Park Swizzle is a rum-based cocktail recipe that was created in the early 1900s at the Queen’s Park Hotel in Port of Spain, Trinidad. This variation was adapted from The Essential Cocktail Book by the editors of PUNCH and Megan Krigbaum.
A mezcal-based cocktail recipe created in 2008 by Jim Meehan at PDT in New York City, New York
A beer-based cocktail recipe created by Jon and Lindsay Yeager in Nashville, Tennessee
The Missionary’s Downfall is a rum-based tiki cocktail recipe that was created by Don the Beachcomber in the 1930s at his bar in Hollywood, California. This variation was adapted from Easy Tiki: A Modern Revival with 60 Recipes by Chloe Frechette.
The Lavender Sour is a gin-based cocktail recipe that was created by bartender JB Bernstein at Vernick Food & Drink in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This variation was adapted from an issue of Saveur, an online food, wine, and travel magazine.
Embrace the winter spirit with these cozy cold-weather recipes.
Learn how to make homemade simple syrups, shrubs, and spreads to use in cocktails.
