Spirit.Ed: Check Out Our Latest Roundup For National Cocktail Day 2025

National Cocktail Day (May 24) is here and it provides imbibers a reason to celebrate with their favorite cocktails or discover new ones. To those in search of a new cocktail to kick off National Cocktail Day the right way, we’ve got some suggestions below.

The whole reason I began the Spirit.Ed column on CASSIUS was to get nerdy and wonky about the history, alchemy, and variety of cocktails. One of my hobbies is studying the cocktail books and recreating classics of old, along with new riffs. I’m now getting into creating a variety of cocktails, although I still have quite a lot to learn about the craft.

My entry for National Cocktail Day will be what I’m calling the Best Of Barbados Old Fashioned. I do not wish to claim I am the sole inventor of this cocktail but I haven’t seen it on any of the several dozen cocktail bar menus of establishments I’ve visited over the past 10 years since I picked up interest in the hobby.

The idea for the Best Of Barbados Old Fashioned was sparked after a recent visit to the island and engaging in both the famed Foursquare Distillery and the Mount Gay Visitor Centre tours, both of which would be the most recognizable of the four distilleries on the island.

The concept is simple. I used 1 oz each of Mount Gay’s Black Barrel and Foursquare’s Doorly’s 12 Year Old rums. I stuck with traditional Angostura bitters but I have made this cocktail with chocolate and orange bitters (one dash each) in times past. Depending on what you want to taste in your drink that day should direct your choice but there is no wrong way to go. I wanted to get super technical and use grapefruit bitters as the fruit is native to Barbados, but I think aged rums need the smokier, heartier bitters to bring out the best notes.

I appreciated the Black Barrel’s charred bourbon cask finish as someone who loves the Old Fashioned when it’s made with American whiskey. The Doorly’s expression is aged for at least six years and then finished in former Oloroso Sherry casks, imparting otherworldly flavor. Both rums clock in at 86 proof, which doesn’t get lost in the ice or mixers during the drink. Check out the recipe below.

The Best Of Barbados Old Fashioned by D.L. Chandler

Source: D.L. Chandler / DLC

Ingredients:

1 Oz Mount Gay Black Barrel

1 Oz Doorly’s 12 Year Old

Bar spoon or 1/4 oz of rich simple or demerara syrup.

2 dashes of Angostura bitters*

*For a different flavor profile, try out different bitters such as orange or chocolate.

Method:

In a rocks glass, build the drink over a large cube, or any good clear ice. Combine all ingredients over the ice and stir until mixed (around 20 seconds). Express the peel of an orange atop the glass and toss it into the drink. Enjoy!

If that drink doesn’t appeal to your tastes, I’m sure we’ve got something below among all the fantastic brands below. Have a safe and happy National Cocktail Day.

—

Photo: Lorado / Getty