11 Equal-Parts Cocktails You Need To Try

The classic Negroni is not only the undisputed king of equal parts cocktails, but it may also be on the Mount Rushmore of cocktails altogether. The Italian-born drink has inspired countless variations, but the original cocktail itself was actually a riff.

At the time it was created, one of the most popular cocktails around was the Americano, an equal parts combination of sweet vermouth and Campari that was topped off with soda water. In Florence in 1919, Count Camillo Negroni entered a bar and requested that the bartender strengthen his Americano. The bartender obliged, substituted the soda water with a London Dry gin, and Italy's greatest export was born (via Condé Nast Traveller).

The Negroni is as close to a perfect cocktail as there is, each ingredient contributing something special to be detected and savored on its own while also contributing to an unparalleled, harmonious balance. The intense bitterness of the Campari is tamed by the mellowing softness of the sweet vermouth. Meanwhile, the gin cuts through with strength and sharpness.

If you have never had a Negroni, you must approach your first one with the understanding that Campari is an acquired taste. Ask anyone who loves a Negroni, and most will tell you they did not like it at first. It is quite bitter, but even if your first sip scares you away — which it very well might — coming back for another try and another after that may just lead you to your new favorite cocktail.

The Last Word is a pre-Prohibition cocktail and also the first shaken drink on the list. It was first published in a 1916 edition of the Detriot Athletic Club's magazine. The originally written reference did not include a recipe, however — just its price of 35 cents, double that of a Manhattan. Decades later, in 1953, an actual recipe for the Last Word was included in Ted Saucier's "Bottoms Up!", per Difford's Guide. The equal-parts combination of gin, lime juice, maraschino liqueur, and green chartreuse has been a hit since its creation but was rejuvenated with the cocktail boom of the 21st century.

Of course, any equal-parts cocktail that has lasted this long is worth trying because of that guaranteed balance, but the chartreuse is an exceptionally unique spirit well-deserving of a place on your home bar for more cocktails than just this one. According to Taste France, chartreuse is a French herbal liqueur that has been made since 1737. It is made in the town of Voiron using 130 herbs and botanicals that infuse a grape-based spirit to create a distinctly unique concoction that contributes to a wide range of excellent cocktails.

At 55% alcohol, green chartreuse especially packs a punch but is perfectly balanced by the sweetness of maraschino liqueur, brightened by the lime juice, and botanically highlighted by the gin. If you happen to come across this drink on a cocktail menu, give it a try and you will not be disappointed.

The Blood and Sand is one of the more polarizing cocktails on this list. Originally created in London for a 1922 film of the same name, the drink contains an equal parts combination of scotch whisky, Cherry Heering, sweet vermouth, and orange juice and was first published in Harry Craddock's 1930 "Savoy Cocktail Book," mentioned earlier. So what makes this drink so contentious?

According to Punch, the main subject of debate is that this equal parts cocktail should not be equal parts, because the alcohol balances itself so well that the cocktail merely tastes like orange juice and alcohol. Some have suggested bumping up the scotch and vermouth, and others have challenged the inclusion of orange juice altogether. Regardless, The Blood and Sand has been sustained as a part of cocktail culture for a century now, so it has to be doing something right.

If you find that the original Blood and Sand is not quite for you and want one of the many modern revisions out there, a swap of orange juice for orange liqueur is a common one that keeps the measurements the same while also fixing the fundamental imbalance. The drink will still get sweetness and flavor from an orange ingredient, and the scotch, sweet vermouth, and Cherry Heering will keep intact and not get overpowered by the sweet, acidic, and cloudy orange juice.

Of all the riffs on The Last Word, none have made as big an impact on the world of cocktails as the Paper Plane. This modern classic cocktail was created at The Violet Hour in Chicago in 2008 by Sam Ross, who was asked by his friend, Tobey Maloney, to create a new cocktail for the opening of the new bar (via Punch). The cocktail was born out of direct inspiration from The Last Word, only this one containing bourbon, Campari, Amaro Nonnino, and lemon juice. The name came from the song by M.I.A., which was playing when Ross called Maloney about his new creation.

Upon another try of the cocktail days later, however, Ross was not quite happy with the balance of the drink and decided to use Aperol instead of Campari. Then, he realized he had struck gold. Aperol, another Italian aperitivo, is not as bitter as Campari. Instead, its flavor is more orange and fruit-forward, which is directly complimented by the herbal notes of the Amaro Nonnino, another Italian spirit. The bourbon swap for gin makes turns this bright drink into a darker one with those barrel notes that elongate a warmer finish.

Describing why the Paper Plane is good is not very simple. All of the ingredients are so different from one another that it's difficult to say how exactly the drink works — it just does. And there's no way to truly know what it's really about without tasting it for yourself.

Yes, it's another Negroni variation, but the Old Pal changes two of the original ingredients to turn the cocktail into another revelation. This cocktail was first published in Harry McElhone's 1922 "Harry's ABC of Mixing Cocktails" (via Cold Glass). McElhone is also responsible for the Boulevardier, which swaps out the gin in a Negroni for bourbon, and that is where the Old Pal comes from, but this cocktail is actually credited to a man named William "Sparrow" Robinson.

Robinson was a sports writer for the New York Herald Tribune at their office in Paris, where McElhone lived and worked as a bar owner and bartender. Robinson was known to refer to anyone he interacted with as his "old pal," including McElhone, who frequently mixed Robinson his favorite cocktail of rye whiskey, Campari, and dry vermouth. The recipe was included in McElhone's book, and the Old Pal has stood since.

The Old Pal is essentially a more nuanced Boulevardier. It includes a spicy forward rye whiskey and swaps the sweet vermouth for dry to create an entirely unique variation that is nuanced in every department. The barrel notes of the whiskey help it to stand up to the sharpness of the Campari and dry vermouth, which pair wonderfully between their fruity and herbal profiles. The Old Pal is definitely a more bitter cocktail, and maybe not the best first introduction to Campari, but if you like a Negroni, you have to try an Old Pal.

One more Negroni variation then we can get out of here. The only Mezcal cocktails widely known today are really only as old as the cocktail resurgence of the past few decades. The birth of the Mezcal Negroni is exactly what makes the world of cocktails ever-evolving.

As hammered home throughout this article, an equal-parts cocktail template paves the way for simple experimentation to make new drinks that are new but familiar. In the mid-2000s, classic cocktails like the Negroni were revitalized and thrown back into the mainstream drinking scene (via Punch). Simultaneously, mezcal was being utilized for cocktails really for the first time ever, so a swap of the spirit was only natural. The result was a cocktail that will likely never — and should never — leave a menu.

Mezcal and tequila are both made from agave, but mezcal is made by cooking the agave in an underground pit. This is what gives mezcal its peaty, smoky flavor, which contributes to a Negroni like no other. The sweetness of the agave teams up with the vermouth to stand up to the bitter Campari and the smoke provides an undertone of smoldering warmth. What makes Negroni variations great is that even if a bar doesn't have a Mezcal Negroni on its menu, a request for this simple substitution gets you one in no time. If the bartender has the sense to try it for theirself, it will surely be on the menu the next time you stop by.