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 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 vodka, lemon juice, simple syrup, triple sec, and lemon
A New Year’s Eve cocktail made with sparkling wine, gin, fig syrup, lemon juice, and aromatic bitters
A New Year’s Eve cocktail made with sparkling wine, brandy, pear liqueur, aromatic bitters, and lemon
A brunch cocktail made with sparkling wine, orange juice, cranberry juice, and lime
A tiki cocktail made with white rum, orange curaçao, dark rum, lime juice, orgeat syrup, and mint
Cool off with these refreshing cocktail recipes perfect for summertime.
Learn how to make homemade simple syrups, shrubs, and spreads to use in cocktails.
