6 Breakfast Cocktails Every Gentleman Should Know How to Make

Riddle me this. If it wasn’t okay to drink in the morning, why did someone create the zesty, savory Bloody Mary? And why does your local brunch spot serve bottomless Mimosas every Sunday? And how did “hair of the dog” become cliché? 

Catching a slight buzz while you enjoy your eggs Benedict, corned beef hash, or buttermilk pancakes is what weekends (and January 1) were made for. Some are sparkling and effervescent. Others are fresh and loaded with citrus (as well as alcohol). Some are savory. Many are caffeinated. And all are perfect for pairing with all of your breakfast (and brunch) favorites.

There are few breakfast cocktails as well known as the Bloody Mary. While it gained popularity in the ’60s and ’70s (and never stopped), this drink, consisting of vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, hot sauce, and spices, has a murky history with multiple origin stories. One of the most widely believed ones is that a man named George Jessel created the drink in 1927 in Palm Beach, Florida. Tracks. Another has the drink’s genesis at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris in the early 1920s. Also tracks. 

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces vodka
• 4 ounces tomato juice
• 1-2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• .25 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 2-3 dashes hot sauce
• 1 pinch of cracked black pepper
• 1 dash of celery salt

Preparation: In an ice-filled shaker, add all ingredients. Shake vigorously to combine. Pour into a chilled highball glass. Garnish with a celery stick, strip of bacon, lemon wedge, olives, a hamburger, whatever you want really.

If the Bloody Mary is the most well-known savory breakfast cocktail, the Mimosa is the most beloved sweet drink. Another classic that first gained popularity in the 1960s, this simple drink of sparkling wine (usually Champagne) and fresh orange juice was first created by a bartender named Frank Meier at the Ritz Hotel in Paris in 1925.

Ingredients:

• 2.5 ounces sparkling wine
• 2.5 ounces fresh orange juice

Preparation: Add chilled sparkling wine to a champagne flute. Top with fresh orange juice. Garnish with an orange wheel. 

Note: Since the ingredients are so simple, might I suggest, nay, insist on the “fresh” part of the fresh orange juice.

While drinking a nice cup of black coffee is great, an Irish Coffee paired with salty, cheesy, savory brunch foods is even better. This iconic drink was created in 1943 at the Foynes Airbase in County Limerick, Ireland by a chef named Joe Sheridan.

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces freshly brewed coffee
• 2 ounces Irish whiskey
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream

Preparation: Add the brown sugar to a warmed Irish Coffee glass. Pour in freshly brewed coffee. Stir gently to dissolve the brown sugar. Add the Irish whiskey and stir gently to combine. Float heavy whipping cream on top.

There’s arguably no breakfast cocktail easier to make than the timeless Screwdriver. You don’t even have to pop a bottle of Champagne for this one. To say that there’s a bit of a mystery surrounding this drink’s origin story is an understatement. The most common story is centered on unnamed American marines during World War II. Regardless of who actually invented it, the drink has been a breakfast staple for decades.

Ingredients:

•  2 ounces vodka
• Freshly squeezed orange juice topper

Preparation: Add ice to a highball glass. Pour in the vodka. Top with freshly squeezed orange juice. Gently stir to combine. Garnish with an orange wheel.

If you like the Mimosa, you love the Bellini. First created in 1948 by Giuseppe Cipriani at Harry’s Bar in Venice, this drink of peach purée and Prosecco was named for 15th-century Venetian painter Giovanni Bellini. It’s fresh, sweet, effervescent, and pairs perfectly with salty, savory breakfast dishes.

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces peach puree
• 4 ounces Prosecco

Preparation: Add peach puree to a chilled champagne flute. Pour in the Prosecco (or your favorite sparkling wine). Gently stir to combine and chill. Garnish with a peach slice.

While it has its origins in 1930s, the version we all know and love was created by bartenders Bobby Lozoff and Billy Rice at the Trident Bar in Sausalito, California in the early 1970s. It gained notoriety when Mike Jagger made it the go-to cocktail during the Rolling Stones’ 1972 tour. The drink gets its name because the mixture of tequila, orange juice, and grenadine has the appearance of an epic sunrise.

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces Blanco tequila
• 4 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice
• .5 ounces grenadine

Preparation: In an ice-filled highball glass, add tequila and orange juice. Stir gently to combine and chill. Slowly add the grenadine over the back of a bar spoon. Garnish with a cocktail cherry and orange wheel.