Walk into a bar and order a mojito, margarita, or martini, and the bartender knows exactly what you are looking for in a drink. If you’re not much an adventurous drinker, there are no surprises as they deliver you a cocktail they have made a hundred times before. For some, this expectation and predictability is perfect. For others, this is boring and mundane. The more adventurous are tired of the same old cocktails and prefer a crafted cocktail experience. There is a vast world out there and plenty of alcohol creations that go well beyond the basic spirit order. If you are one of these more adventurous people, you have come to the right place. These bizarre cocktails will have even the most adventurous thrilled about taking a sip. 

1. Kazakh Mary

The Ritz Carlton in Abu Dhabi became famous worldwide for hiring a camel milk mixologist. While many of his concoctions are alcohol-free smoothies, he crafted some adult beverages from this unique ingredient. If you enjoy a bloody mary, give the Kazakh mary a try. They have many of the same ingredients apart from camel milk. If this drink sound off-putting, fear not. Camel milk tastes similar to regular cow milk but is slightly saltier with a sweeter aftertaste. Many people think it has a more decadent creamy texture and consistency. 

• 1.5 oz Vodka
• 3.5 oz Tomato Juice
• Splash of Worcestershire sauce
• Splash of Sriracha Sauce
• 2 oz Camel Milk

Using a highball glass, add all of the ingredients except the camel milk. Stir it all together to mix. Add the milk as a floater on the top and garnish with micro greens, fennel, or olives. 

2. Gun Powder Cocktail 

You read the title right; this bizarre cocktail requires gunpowder. But don’t worry; the only thing explosive about this drink is the flavor. You’ll have to go down under to Australia to enjoy this firearm-inspired drink. A gentleman named Grant Collins crafted the cocktail with Guy Fawkes in mind. Fawkes was a member of the English Catholics and a part of the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. The plot failed when a letter alerted authorities to a revolt, and during a search, Fawkes was found in the House of Lords with 36 barrels of gunpowder. 

• 1 1/2 ounces gunpowder tea-infused gin
• 1/2 ounce spiced gunpowder-infused syrup
• 3 to 4 dashes of Bitters 
• fernet branca (an herbal digestive) 
• One egg white 

Combine all of the ingredients in an ice-filled shaker. You know it’s ready when the egg white forms a thick white foamy head on the drink when poured into a coupe cocktail glass. You then place a bell jar over the filled glass and blow oak smoke into it. Let it sit, so the foam gets infused with the smoke flavor. Garnish with a twig. 

3. L’Imperial

The Baccarat Hotel, located in New York City is worth visiting even if you don’t drink, with fine crystal decorating every corner of this elegant hotel. The L’Imperial is the jewel in the hotel’s crown. This is a one-of-a-kind cocktail, literally. It is best for the adventurous drinker with deep pockets, as the price tag is $5,000 for a single drink. So what are you getting for your money? A cocktail that contains liquor that is so rare there is only a single bottle in existence and a Baccarat glass that you can take home. 

• ¾ oz One-hundred-year-old Chartreuse ($1,150 per measure)
• ¾ oz Nolet Reserve Gin (US$100 per measure)
• ¾ Cherrywood-aged maraschino liqueur (US$50 per measure)
• ¾ oz Lime juice
• Gold-covered cherry
• $3,600 Baccarat glass

While you can’t make the exact drink served at the Baccarat Hotel, you can make a more affordable version at home. The L’Imperial is based on a cocktail called the Last Word. Use your own Chartreuse, cherry liqueur, gin, and lime juice. Mix and chill all of the ingredients in an ice-filled shaker. Pour into a chilled coupe glass or another fancy glass that you may have, and garnish with a cherry.  

4. Sourtoe Cocktail 

Some drinks are unique in their ingredients, others in how they are made. Then there are drinks like this one, which is just plain disgusting. The drink dates back to the 1970s when people began drinking a cocktail with a real human toe in it for some unknown reason. There are no rules for how you down the drink. The only rule is that your lips must touch the toe at some point while drinking your cocktail. 

There is no recipe for this drink. However, any cocktail can become a “Sourtoe” with the addition of a dehydrated or preserved human toe. If you want to try the drink, head to Dawson City, Yukon. Visit the Sourtoe Cocktail Club at the Downtown Hotel. 

5. Rum Blazer 

The rum blazer is a modern drink inspired by a traditional one. Jerry “The Professor” Thomas was a famous mixologist that gained a reputation for throwing flaming alcohol between two glasses. His drink of choice for this was a Blue Blazer. The Shaka Zulu hotel restaurant and bar in London took the original drink recipe and gave it a new twist to craft the rum blazer, perfect for the adventurous drinker. Unfortunately, Shaka Zulu is now closed, so you will have to make the drink at home. 

• 1.5 oz Goslings Black Seal 151 Proof Black Rum 
• 1.5 oz Grand Marnier 
• 1.5 oz Chairman’s Reserve Spiced Rum
• 1 Raspberry 
• 2 Blackberries 
• 2 Blueberries 
• 1 Grape 
• Orange peel 
• Cinnamon dust 

To make this drink, you will need two brandy sniffers and rocks or an old-fashioned glass. Pour the alcohol and add the fruit into one brandy glass. Tilt the glass and light it on fire. Then place the body of the glass on the rocks or old-fashioned glass. Turn the sniffer glass by grasping the base while it rests on the other glass. Carefully shake the cinnamon dust into the flames, careful not to get the dust into the drink. The more cinnamon you shake, the bigger the flames you can create. Let the alcohol burn off for several minutes. Then take your second sniffer glass and hold it in the flame to warm up. It should be warm enough to not crack when you pour the hot drink in but not so hot that it burns the drinker’s lips. Finish by pouring the liquid into the warmed glass and serve. 

6. Moby Dick Sazarac 

Amerbgris is a dull grey or blackish substance with a solid and waxy texture. It is harvested from the bile duct in the intestines of sperm whales. Sounds gross, right? Well, it is highly prized by perfume makers for its ability to hold a scent longer than synthetic alternatives. These days, ambergris trade is prohibited in Australia, India, and the United States. However, if you travel to the UK, you can try the Moby Dick Sazarac that contains ambergris. So to try this drink, you need to be a traveler and an adventurous drinker. 

• 2 oz rye
• 1/3 oz simple syrup
• 1/4 oz water
• 4 dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters
• 1 gram ambergris

The first step in making this drink is to finely grate the ambergris into 70% grain alcohol and turn it into a tincture. Next, you’ll need to sous vide it at 158 degrees Fahrenheit until the solids become liquid. Once you have your ambergris liquid, combine it with the rest of the ingredients and freeze. When you are ready to drink it, pour it into a rocks glass. Garnish with a piece of rice paper soaked in absinthe. 

7. Meatequita

What if you could have your meal and cocktail all in one? With a meatequita, it’s possible. This stomach-churning cocktail is best left to the adventurous drinker. However, this cocktail may just quench your thirst if you love your meat. It is another creation from the now-defunct Shaka Zulu club in London. It should be no surprise by now why the place didn’t make it, serving drinks like the rum blazer, wheelin’ salmon, and meatequita. This concoction is like a bloody mary and a margarita crossover, but with meat. 

• Tequila reposado infused with chorizo
• Vegetable juice
• Balsamic vinegar
• Smoked sea salt 
• Pepper 

The exact amounts for each ingredient are unknown, but you can mix them to your taste. One suggestion is to follow a bloody mary recipe, as the ingredients are similar. Serve the drink in a margarita glass and garnish with a piece of beef jerky. 

8. Salmon Martini

Don’t let the name of this cocktail deter you. The drink may contain fish essence, but it isn’t fishy at all. Instead, the smoked salmon infuses a luscious smoky flavor. Think of it like the wonderful combination of bagel, cream cheese, and lox. If you’re hosting an upscale brunch, looking to entertain an adventurous drinker, this blend will elevate your service from the boring and basic orange juice and champagne combo. 

16 ounces gin
4 ounces cold smoked salmon

Martini Ingredients 

• 1 1/2 ounces Salmon-Infused Gin
• 1 ounce blanco vermouth
• .5 oz plain gin 

To start, leave the 16 ounces of gin and smoked salmon in an airtight container on the counter for a week. That’s right, set it and forget it. After a week, put it in the fridge for another two weeks. Next, clarify the liquid by pouring it through a cheesecloth. This removes the excess salmon fat and gives the gin a clearer look. To make the drink, fill a mixing glass with ice, measure the drink’s ingredients, and stir until chilled. Pour into a Nick & Nora glass and garnish with a pickled caperberry.

9. Tapeworm 

Who would want to drink named after a gross parasite that can live in human intestines? Well, apparently, somebody does because we have the tapeworm shooter. Even the adventurous drinker might hesitate with this gem. Unsurprisingly, this bizarre cocktail looks and sounds just as gross as the worm it is named after. This isn’t a drink that someone would order to sip and enjoy. Rather, this is a one-and-done party trick or maybe the punishment for a lost bet. 

• 1 oz Vodka
• 1 oz Mayonnaise
• Dash of Tabasco
• Black Pepper

Pour your vodka of choice into a shot glass and dash with Tabasco sauce and black pepper. Then give the glass a good squeeze of mayonnaise. Finally, close your eyes and hope for the best as you down this truly disgusting drink. 

10. The Commonwealth 

Bartenders like drinks they can make quickly and serve, which is probably why the commonwealth never caught on. This bizarre cocktail is best left to the adventurous drinker who plans to make their cocktails at home. There are 71 ingredients in this cocktail. Each ingredient represents a different nation that took part in the commonwealth games in Glasgow in 2017. 

• 1 oz Scotch
• 1 dash of the following 71 ingredients: 

Arabica coffee beans, arrowroot, Basil-thyme, big rosemary, bittercress, bitter leaf, blueberries, cacao, cashew nut, cassava, chives, citronella, cloves, devil’s claw, devil’s horsewhip, dragon fruit, durian fruit, egg fruit, galangal, guava leaf, jujube, lavender, lemongrass, Loganberry, mango, mangosteen, maqui berry, nakati eggplant, new potatoes, noni, okra, papaya, pomegranate, prickly pear, Rambutan, red apple, ripe jackfruit, saffron, Sage, sapodilla, sorrel, sour cheery, star anise, St. Helena tea plant, sugarcane, sweet basil, sycamore fig, tamarind, tamon, Taro, tonka bean, utazi leaves, rooibos, rosehip, wild cotoneaster, wild raspberry, and wild Scottish strawberry.

Making this bizarre cocktail is surprisingly simple, despite the lengthy ingredient list. First, place ice in a bourbon glass and pour in the scotch. Then add a dash of each of the 71 ingredients. Hopefully, you are able to find all of the ingredients, and the drink tastes good when you are done.  

With all these new and exciting drinks, even the most adventurous drinker can find something new to sample. Keep these in mind when you order your next cocktail, and let Distillery Nearby guide any upcoming distillery tours!