The 12 Strongest Cocktails You Can Order

Maybe you had a bad day at work and just want to let off some steam for a bit. Maybe you received some good news and want to celebrate with a festive, fun cocktail. Maybe you're a broke college student looking to get a good buzz going for cheap. Whatever the reason, everyone has at one time or another needed a good, strong cocktail. While you could probably knock back different types of straight liquor for a similar effect, many drinkers opt for cocktails due to their varied flavors, creative presentation, and balanced ratios of booze to mixers that allow you to stretch out an evening of drinking without getting too hammered.

Sauntering up to a bar, patrons have thousands of cocktail options to choose from. But some are definitely stronger than others, blending high-proof spirits with liquors, wine, juices, bitters, and more to create intoxicating goes-down-easy but pay-for-it-later libations. From classic cocktails that may surprise you with their strength to truly out-of-this-world freaks of mixology, here are some of the strongest cocktails you can order. Please drink in moderation, and if you are indulging, make sure you have a safe way to get home and never drive drunk.

With an ABV (alcohol by volume) content of between 40% to 50%, or even higher, whiskey is a boozy choice for a bar drink. But that's just on its own, enjoyed straight or on the rocks. Imagine a cocktail that mixes four different kinds of whiskey together, creating a warming but intoxicating combination. That's the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

This whiskey-centric cocktail gets its name courtesy of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse figures in the Bible, who are omens of disaster, pestilence, and death and represent the coming of the "end times." Considering the hangover that may await if you have too many of these, it definitely can feel like the end times. The Four Horsemen consists of equal parts scotch, Irish whiskey, bourbon whiskey, and Tennessee whiskey, mixed together with ice and served neat. Most recipes call for the use of Jim Beam bourbon, Johnnie Walker scotch, Jack Daniels whiskey, and Jameson. Some recipes swap out the Jameson for Jose Cuervo tequila instead, and the drink can be served either as a cocktail or a shot. But the important thing is the proportions: equal parts of all four liquors.

Since the Four Horsemen is made up of equal parts whiskey — for the standard cocktail, most recipes call for a quarter ounce of each for a 2-ounce drink — on its own, it's actually not that strong. Most standard whiskey shots or pours measure out at 1.5 to 2 ounces. Therefore, best to stick to only a couple of these.

When you're sidling up to the bar looking to order an uber-strong cocktail, the Long Island Iced Tea is probably one of the first options that comes to mind. This popular and widely-known cocktail is a bar staple thanks to its sweet, tea-like flavor that cleverly hides the fact that it contains five different kinds of alcohol. How it was invented is somewhat of a mystery. One story says it was invented during the Prohibition era so drinkers could disguise that they were drinking booze, while another says it was created at a Long Island bar in the 1970s, hence its name. Whether it was invented back in the 1920s or not, it rose to popularity in the 1970s and has had a loyal following ever since, especially among young people first learning to drink. Many a college student likely has a story of a Long Island Iced Tea-induced hangover.

The Long Island Iced Tea is made up of five very different types of liquor — gin, rum, vodka, tequila, and triple sec — mixed with simple syrup and lemon juice. Added together in an ice-filled Collins glass, the whole boozy concoction is topped with a dash of cola and a lemon wedge. One of the reasons for its strength is the ratio of spirits to mixers. Exact measurements may vary by the recipe, but the alcohol makes up roughly three-quarters of the drink. That's a lot of booze.

If you're looking to get trashed in style, may we suggest the martini? Nothing screams elegance and sophistication like a martini, but these chic drinks also pack a wallop in the ABV department. Of course, there are many different variations of this classic cocktail: dry, wet, dirty, made with gin, made with vodka. But one of the strongest iterations sticks to the drinks' roots in the form of a dry martini (apologies to fans of the dirty martini).

As a dry martini only consists of two ingredients, gin or vodka and dry vermouth, you may be wondering how it could be such a strong libation. It's because the spirits used have a high ABV. Vodka's standard ABV content is in the 40% range, while gin can be in the 37.5% to 57% range depending on the type. Then there's dry vermouth, a fortified wine with an ABV which generally clocks in around 16-18%. As a dry martini calls for 2 1/2 ounces vodka (or gin) to 1/2 ounce dry vermouth, there's more of the higher ABV spirit. While the exact alcohol by volume amount varies depending on the type of gin, vodka, and dry vermouth used, dry martinis usually have an ABV between 28% and 30%. If a dry martini is a bit too boozy for you, try a 50/50 martini, the gentler riff for beginners that has equal parts vodka or gin and dry vermouth.

Another classic cocktail that packs a punch is the Negroni, boasting an alcohol content level of around 24%. Said to originate in Florence, Italy, it's believed that its creation stems from a bar patron wanting a stronger drink. An Italian count, Count Camillo Negroni, went to a bar in Florence and ordered an Americano cocktail, which is made with Campari, sweet vermouth, and soda water. Deciding that he wanted it even stronger than usual, the count asked the bartender to swap out the soda water with gin. Thus this triple-threat of a cocktail was born and has become not only one of Italy's best-known cocktails but one of the top classic cocktails of all time.

Why is the Negroni so strong? It's 100% liquor, with no added mixers. Equal parts of Campari, gin, and sweet vermouth are mixed together and served chilled with an orange peel garnish. The proportions are generally 1 ounce of each, amounting to a 3-ounce cocktail of straight liquor. The only form of dilution is that it's often served over ice, which eventually will melt down. This high alcohol content, plus the bitter flavor profile, makes it a great drink to take your time with and sip slowly.

Tiki drinks often rank among the booziest cocktail orders thanks to their use of rum, which can be anywhere from 40% for standard rum to 75% for high-proof bottles, which is cleverly disguised by fruity juice mixtures. While Tiki drinks like the Mai Tai may be better known, the Zombie has a rich history in Tiki cocktail culture.

It was invented in 1933 at Don the Beachcomber, a popular Hollywood bar that essentially birthed the Tiki cocktail craze thanks to bartender Donn Beach. Hailed as the "founder father" of Tiki drink culture, the Zombie is a key part of Beach's boozy legacy and appropriately named, as a hangover from one of these can involve plenty of zombie-like moaning and groaning. It's said that Beach invented the Zombie to cure a customer's hangover, but ended up making the customer feel like one of the living dead.

First off, there's the base spirit: rum. But not just one type. The Zombie uses a mix of Jamaican and Puerto Rican, as well as an extra-strong 151-proof option. Add in falernum, grenadine, Don's mix (simple syrup with grapefruit juice), and lime juice, plus a couple of dashes of bitters and a mint sprig garnish, and you have yourself a delicious and deadly concoction. While you can't have one at its OG bar, there are still plenty of great Tiki bars around the United States that will do it justice.

The Irish have given the world some of the greatest alcoholic beverages of all time: Guinness beer, Irish whiskey, and Baileys Irish cream, to name a few. But there are also plenty of dubious (or, in the case of the Irish Car Bomb, outright offensive) cocktails that bear the Irish name despite not being invented on or having anything to do with the Emerald Isle. The Irish Trash Can is one of these drinks, said to have been created at a pub in London in the 1990s. Authentically Irish or not, it's a crazy-strong cocktail that allegedly got its name for tasting like drinking from a trash can. Based on its ingredients, it's more likely to have you heaving up into a trash can.

The drink uses three different types of spirits and three liqueurs: gin, vodka, rum, peach schnapps, triple sec, and blue curacao. Then, the whole thing is topped with a can of Red Bull. Mixing all the different alcohols and Red Bull together gives the drink its distinct neon-green hue, which is one of the reasons it's often drunk on St. Patrick's Day.

There are plenty of potent, high-ABV cocktails on this list, but the Aunt Roberta may just take the cake. Many argue it's the world's strongest cocktail, combining absinthe, gin, vodka, brandy, and liqueur.

Even though many old cocktails have had their exact origin story lost to history, the Aunt Roberta has especially nebulous roots. Allegedly invented in the late 1800s, research hasn't found mention of it in old cocktail books from the time, and no one has been able to verify its most popular creation story, which is just as much of a wild ride as the drink itself. It's said that Aunt Roberta was created by Roberta, who was the mixed-race daughter of an Alabama slave owner. After that, some versions of the story say she became a bootlegger and sold booze, while other versions say she got into sex work. As for how the drink reached a wider audience, it's said a raccoon hunter took the recipe to Manhattan and became a millionaire off of it. Like we said, wild.

Even without the backstory, the drink itself is outlandish. It calls for 1.5 shots of gin, three vodka shots, two absinthe shots, one shot of brandy, and one shot of a dark-fruit liqueur like a black raspberry or blackberry. If you're brave enough to try it one night at a bar, you're sure to have your own wild story the next day.

If you're looking for a strong cocktail, look no further than this creation from one of the most famous drinkers of all time: Ernest Hemingway. Along with his literary work, Hemingway also made a name for himself as a prolific drinker. Cocktails and drinking culture were heavily featured in his writing, and he loved drinks like daiquiris, martinis, and Champagne. His love for booze was so great that he gave preexisting cocktails signature tweaks and even whipped up his own creations like the Death in the Afternoon.

Hemingway was a fond imbiber of absinthe, the herbaceous, emerald-green spirit that became popular in Europe during the late 1800s and early 1900s and a longstanding myth about absinthe said it produces hallucinogenic visions. A healthy 1.5-ounce pour of this heady liquor (which boasts an ABV of at least 45% but often higher at around 68%) is added to a coupe glass and then topped with 4.5 ounces of Champagne. Per Hemingway's instructions, you're meant to slowly drink four or five, but you may find that one is more than enough.

The French 75 may look dainty and innocent, but don't be fooled. This heady mix of gin, Champagne, lemon juice, and simple syrup packs a wallop. Named after French field guns used in the First World War, the drink became widely known after it was included in Harry Craddock's famous cocktail book "The Savoy Cocktail Book." Its exact origins are unclear, however.

Regardless of how it came to be, the French 75 is now a brunch staple, as well as a lighter cocktail option to use as an aperitif or first-round of drinks on an evening out. But it's still strong, mixing 1 ounce of gin with 3 ounces of Champagne (other sparkling wines are also acceptable). Along with the wine and spirit, lemon juice and simple syrup are added for a sweet, citrusy flavor profile, followed by a lemon peel garnish. While Champagne doesn't have an exceptionally high ABV (usually around 12%), the effervescent bubbles and lemony flavor mask the higher ABV of the gin. These go down easy, hence why one on its own may be fine but several can really make you tipsy.

If you're looking for a good time, go to New Orleans. From dancing along Bourbon Street to Mardi Gras, the Big Easy takes partying seriously, especially when it comes to good food and drink. If you're after a strong cocktail to get you in a festive mood ahead of a long night hitting the streets of New Orleans, ask for the official cocktail of the Crescent City: the Sazerac.

The Sazerac has been one of New Orleans' go-to drinks since at least the 1830s, although different variations have come and gone. It was trademarked in 1900 and then, in 2008, designated New Orleans' official cocktail. It starts off strong with 2.5 ounces of rye whiskey, complemented by Peychaud's bitters, a sugar cube, and cold water. The whole thing is served in an absinthe-washed glass with a lemon peel garnish. With very little mixer to offset the strong whiskey, the Sazerac can quickly have you feeling all warm and fuzzy.

Whether you need a little hair of the dog to help you recover from a night of excess or just want a drink with a kick to help you wake up, lots of brunch-goers opt to pair their eggs Benedict or fancy French toast with a brunch cocktail. Sitting down to a boozy brunch, you're likely to see some usual suspects on the drinks menu: mimosas, espresso martinis, Bloody Marys, and the Corpse Reviver No. 2. This cocktail is a brunch staple, as it was originally invented to help those suffering from hangovers bounce back to life. To do so, it goes straight for the hard stuff.

The Corpse Reviver No. 2 is said to date from before Prohibition. As the name suggests, this family of cocktails was meant as hangover cures, reviving dead-to-the-world drinkers and helping revitalize them for the day. While different variations have been lost to history, the Corpse Reviver No. 2 recipe was repopularized by bartenders during the craft cocktail movement of the 2000s. To make it, mix equal parts gin (preferably London dry), Lillet blanc, orange liqueur, and lemon juice with ice and serve in a chilled, absinthe-rinsed glass. The fruity flavors of the lemon juice, orange liqueur, and Lillet blanc hide the strong alcohol content, which is usually between 16-17%.

The Manhattan sits alongside the Negroni and Martini as a classic, sophisticated cocktail that can still go straight to your head if you're not careful. Whiskey-forward cocktails are already boozy thanks to their strong base spirit, but add in sweet vermouth and it steps up a notch to a drink with a roughly 26% ABV content.

Like with many classic cocktails, the story of how the Manhattan cocktail came to be is somewhat blurry. The most widely accepted theory is that it was invented at the Manhattan Club in New York City in the late 1800s, which would explain how the cocktail got its name. Its recipe has largely stayed the same over the years, consisting of a 2:1 mix of whiskey and sweet vermouth, with a couple dashes of Angostura bitters. There is some debate among bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts about whether to use bourbon or rye. Both are good options and down to preference, but rye is said to be more traditional.