The 80s were a time for neon drinks, sour mix, and cocktails brimming with innuendo. While several of these drinks didn't withstand the test of time, plenty hung around and have found a new resurgence in popularity. Take a spin with an 80s cocktail or two, either to relive old times, or to take a blast to the past to visit the 80s for the first time.
Totally Radical 80s Vodka Drinks
Vodka is one of the easiest and most accessible spirits to work with. No wonder so many of these drinks were so popular.
French Martini
This vodka martini is a raspberry lover's dream.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces vodka
- ¾ ounce pineapple juice
- ½ ounce raspberry liqueur
- Ice
- Raspberries for garnish
Instructions
- Chill a martini glass or coupe.
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, vodka, pineapple juice, and raspberry liqueur.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into chilled glass.
- Garnish with raspberries.
Sex on the Beach
A scandalously named drink that perfectly suited the 80s need for innuendos with tasty cocktails.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces vodka
- ¾ ounce peach schnapps
- ½ ounce raspberry liqueur
- 1½ ounces orange juice
- 1 ounce pineapple juice
- ½ ounce cranberry juice
- Ice
- Pineapple wedge and cherry for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, vodka, peach schnapps, raspberry liqueur, orange juice, pineapple juice, and cranberry juice.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into highball or hurricane glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with pineapple wedge and cherry.
Kamikaze
Sometimes served as a shot, you can also enjoy this deceivingly boozy drink as a cocktail, as well.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces vodka
- ¾ ounce orange liqueur
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- Ice
- Lime wheel for garnish
Instructions
- Chill a martini glass or coupe.
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, vodka, orange liqueur, and lime juice.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into chilled glass.
- Garnish with lime wheel.
Woo Woo
The woo woo is a happy medium between a sex on the beach and a sea breeze, and its eyebrow-raising name made it a fun drink order.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces vodka
- ¾ ounce peach schnapps
- 3 ounces cranberry juice
- Ice
- Lime wedge for garnish
Instructions
- In a highball glass, add ice, vodka, peach schnapps, and cranberry juice.
- Stir to mix.
- Garnish with lime wedge.
Blue Lagoon
Setting the blue lagoon apart from the other vodka drinks is its family-friendly name. However, its neon blue hue is what makes it a signature drink.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces vodka
- ¾ ounce blue curaçao
- 4 ounces lemonade
- Ice
- Lemon slice for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, vodka, blue curaçao, and lemonade.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into chilled glass.
- Garnish with lemon slice.
These Stellar Liqueur-forward 80s Drinks Will Make Your Night
Don't skip over the liqueur section at your liquor store, and these cocktails will still pack a wicked buzz.
Strawberry Wine Cooler
Skip the pre-made bottled wine coolers of the past in favor of a homemade cooler.
Ingredients
- 3 ounces white wine, such as pinot grigio
- 1 ounce strawberry liqueur
- ¾ ounce orange liqueur
- Ice
- Club soda to top off
- Strawberry slices for garnish
Instructions
- In a mixing glass, add ice, wine, strawberry liqueur, and orange liqueur.
- Stir rapidly to chill.
- Strain into glass over fresh ice.
- Top off with club soda.
- Garnish with strawberry slices.
B-52
One of the most iconic shots of the 80s; its signature layers will instantly bring back memories. Possibly. It depends on the night.
Ingredients
- ¼ ounce coffee liqueur
- ¼ ounce Irish cream
- ¼ ounce orange liqueur
Instructions
- In a shot glass, pour coffee liqueur.
- Add Irish cream, pouring down the back of a spoon to create a second layer.
- Add orange liqueur, pouring down the back of a spoon to create a third layer.
Fuzzy Navel
While this could seem like a scandalously named drink, it references navel oranges, not a fuzzy belly button.
Ingredients
- 2½ ounces peach liqueur
- 5 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice
- Ice
- Orange wedge for garnish
Instructions
- In a highball glass, add ice, peach liqueur, and orange juice.
- Stir to mix.
- Garnish with orange wedge.
Grasshopper
The grasshopper cocktail may have been around since before Prohibition, but it wasn't until the 80s that it became a star.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce green creme de menthe
- 1 ounce white creme de cacao
- 1½ ounces heavy cream
- Ice
- Grated chocolate for garnish
Instructions
- Chill a martini glass or coupe.
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, green creme de menthe, white creme de cacao, and heavy cream.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into chilled glass.
- Garnish with grated chocolate.
Buttery Nipple
Renamed since the 1980s as the butterball shot, it's a cousin of the just as lucratively named slippery nipple. The recipe calls for butterscotch schnapps and skips the grenadine and sambuca. This recipe turns the popular shot into a drink to sip.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce butterscotch schnapps
- ¾ ounce Irish cream
- Ice
Instructions
- In a rocks glass, add ice, butterscotch schnapps, and Irish cream.
- Stir to mix.
Midori Sour
There's nothing outrageous about this drink, except for the neon green color. It's best just to embrace it.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces Midori
- 1 ounce vodka
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- Ice
- Club soda to top off
- Cherry for garnish, optional
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, Midori, vodka, lemon juice, and lime juice.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into highball glass over fresh ice.
- Top off with club soda.
- Garnish with cherry.
Alabama Slammer
A southern-style sweet drink, the Alabama Slammer is popular among college students and those who attended college in the 80s.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce Southern Comfort
- 1 ounce sloe gin
- 1 ounce almond liqueur
- 2 ounces orange juice
- Ice
- Orange wheel and cherry for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, Southern Comfort, sloe gin, almond liqueur, and orange juice.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into highball glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with orange wheel and cherry.
Spirit-forward 80s Drinks that are Bad to the Bone
Rock some boozy 80s cocktails; the only thing bigger than these flavors is 80s hair.
Bramble
Despite its classic, old-school look, the bramble didn't burst onto the scene until the mid-80s.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces gin
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ ounce simple syrup
- ½ ounce creme de mure or raspberry liqueur
- Crushed ice
- Lemon wheel and mint sprig for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into rocks glass over crushed ice.
- Pour in creme de mure, allowing it to sink and form a layer.
- Garnish with lemon wheel and mint sprig.
Whiskey Smash
Make no mistake: The whiskey smash is a child of the 1880s, but thanks to a bar in New York City, it found a resurgence of popularity 100 years later.
Ingredients
- 2-3 lemon wedges
- 3-4 fresh mint leaves
- 2 ounces whiskey
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- Crushed ice
- Lemon slice and mint sprig for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, muddle lemon wedges with a splash of simple syrup.
- Add ice, mint leaves, whiskey, and remaining simple syrup.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into rocks glass over crushed ice.
- Garnish with lemon slice and mint sprig.
Miami Vice
The drink precedes the TV show by quite a few years, but that didn't stop this cocktail's popularity from skyrocketing in the 80s.
Ingredients
- 3 ounces white rum, divided
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- 1 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- 3 ounces cream of coconut
- 2 ounces pineapple juice
- 1½ cups ice, divided
- Cherry and pineapple wedge for garnish
Instructions
- In a blender, add cream of coconut, pineapple juice, half the rum, and half the ice.
- Blend until smooth or desired consistency.
- Pour into hurricane glass.
- In a clean blender, add strawberries, lime juice, simple syrup, remaining rum, and ice.
- Blend until smooth.
- Pour on top of piña colada mix, allowing to layer, but do not mix.
- Garnish with cherry and pineapple wedge.
Between the Sheets
A return to the scandalously named drinks, the cocktail first made its debut in the early 1900s, but came stumbling back around during the 80s.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce cognac
- 1 ounce white rum
- 1 ounce orange liqueur
- ¼ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ ounce simple syrup
- Ice
Instructions
- Chill a martini glass or coupe.
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, cognac, white rum, orange liqueur, and lemon juice.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into chilled glass.
Jungle Bird
The jungle bird just swooped in at the tail end of the 80s.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces black rum
- ¾ ounce Campari
- 1¾ ounces pineapple juice
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- Ice
- Lemon wheel and pineapple leaves for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, black rum, Campari, pineapple juice, lime juice, and simple syrup.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with lemon wheel and pineapple leaves.
80s Drinks for a Blast to the Past
Take a trip to the 80s with a few questionably named drinks or light up the room with the neon glow of an 80s cocktail. Whatever way you want your day or night to go, there's an 80s alcoholic drink for any need or desire.
