Anthony Bourdain's Favorite 12 Drinks

The late Anthony Bourdain left quite a large legacy behind after his passing in 2018. A bestselling author, celebrity chef, and world traveler, Bourdain was revered for his keen observations, sharp wit, and no-holds-barred approach to food and drink.

Bourdain first came to prominence with his 2000 book "Kitchen Confidential," a memoir that ripped the veil off the inner workings of kitchens and ignited the public's fascination with restaurant and chef culture. On the heels of his bestseller, Bourdain wrote his next book, "A Cook's Tour" while simultaneously filming his first television show of the same name. "A Cook's Tour" chronicles Bourdain's mission to find the perfect meal, searching from the street stalls of Vietnam to the high-end kitchens of Michelin-starred restaurants in Napa Valley. From there, Bourdain's television career was cemented, snowballing into the popular "No Reservations" and eventually the Emmy-winning CNN show "Parts Unknown." 

Both food and drink were constants throughout Bourdain's career,, a vehicle by which Bourdain could meaningfully connect to a destination. From a meticulously crafted Negroni and an ice-cold beer, to classic New York cocktails and a bodega coffee served in a cardboard cup, Bourdain understood that drinks weren't merely beverages but catalysts for connection and windows into the heart of a destination's culture. To drink in his footsteps, here are some of the beverages — both alcoholic and not — that Bourdain was known to enjoy in his lifetime. 

The caipirinha is a classic Brazilian cocktail that is said to have originated in the city of São Paulo during the early 20th century as a medicinal drink meant to fight the Spanish flu. It is made by shaking sugar, lime, ice, and cachaça (a distilled liquor derived from sugarcane) together. The result is a refreshing and citrusy cocktail that is considered Brazil's national drink and one of the world's best, at least according to Anthony Bourdain.

"Shaken, not stirred, and you've got yourself one of the world's truly great cocktails," said Bourdain during a 2014 episode of "Parts Unknown," while ordering himself a caipirinha in Brazil, which he calls "a utility beverage good for any time of day or any social occasion." As if to prove his point, the episode shows Bourdain laid-back and easygoing on a Brazilian beach, sipping both a caipirinha and a cold beer before ordering fried cheese from a beach vendor.

You're not wrong if you think the caipirinha seems similar to a margarita. While the two drinks do share similar flavor profiles, the cocktails could not be more different. Unlike the tequila and triple sec used in a Mexican margarita, the cachaça in a caipirinha is more comparable to rum, with its sugarcane origin lending the drink a note of sweetness not found in margaritas.

If there is one drink on this list that can be crowned Anthony Bourdain's favorite, it's the Negroni. The Negroni cocktail originated in Florence in 1919 when Count Camillo Negroni was said to have asked a bartender to give his favorite cocktail — the Americano — an extra kick. The bartender got to work, replacing the soda water with gin and swapping the lemon garnish for an orange peel. The new creation took off, eventually becoming known as a "Negroni." Given its rich backstory, the classic Negroni is a simple cocktail, comprising only gin, Campari, sweet vermouth, and an orange peel garnish, typically served in a rocks glass over ice. But for all its simplicity, the Negroni was — in the opinion of Anthony Bourdain — perfection.

"A Negroni is a perfect drink, as far as I'm concerned," said Bourdain in an interview with Barron's at its 2016 annual American Craft Council Fellowship Awards. "You know, it's three liquors that I'm not particularly interested in. I'm not really a gin drinker, don't like Campari, and straight vermouth leaves me cold, but put 'em together with a slice of orange ... it works."

When it came to beer, Anthony Bourdain was famously low-key. Much like his gravitational pull toward simple and classic cocktails, Bourdain preferred a pint of cold beer — no fuss, craft, backstory, or elaborate tasting notes. Bourdain's distaste for craft beer didn't come out of nowhere. In an interview with Thrillist back in 2016, Bourdain recounted how he had walked into a San Francisco bar craving a pint, only to be taken aback by what he had seen. 

"... The entire place was filled with people sitting there with five small glasses in front of them, filled with different beers, taking notes," Bourdain said. "This is not a bar ... a bar is to go to get a little bit buzzed, and pleasantly derange the senses, and have a good time, and interact with other people, or make bad decisions, or feel bad about your life. It's not to sit there f****** analyzing beer. It's antithetical."

Bourdain didn't consider himself a martini drinker, but he was known to gravitate toward the timeless cocktail in equally timeless New York establishments that seemed to merit the drink, such as Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle or Keen's Steakhouse. "I'm not ordinarily a martini drinker ... but this is the sort of place that demands a martini. They make a very good one, a very large one, and I plan on a long nap after this, so there's little chance of bad decision-making," said Bourdain during a 2016 interview with VICE.

While he was not a regular martini drinker, if Bourdain did order one, his favorite choice was a dry martini with gin. At Bemelmans, Bourdain was said to prefer a classic dry martini served with Bombay Sapphire gin and an extra olive. In fact, Anthony Bourdain famously introduced CNN correspondent Anderson Cooper to his first martini during a segment shot back in 2016.

At this point, you may notice a trend in the late Bourdain's drink preferences: He liked his cocktails simple and timeless. Bourdain may have even scoffed at today's over-the-top drinks, rolling his eyes and offering snarky commentary on Instagram-worthy cocktails with their candy-covered rims and elaborate garnishes. Bourdain was a Renaissance man and a purveyor of true and classic tastes that stood the test of time, such as those found in aged spirits like Scottish whisky. He respected the craftsmanship involved in producing Scottish whisky and even partnered with The Balvenie distillery for his Raw Craft series to celebrate the spirit and its historic whisky-making processes.

"I mean I always liked whisky, but it was a special occasion drink for me. If I'm not feeling particularly well, it makes me feel better," said Bourdain in a 2016 interview with Potluck, as he reflected on his relationship with the timeless spirit. 

Another timeless drink, the sazerac, is one of the oldest known cocktails and is said to have originated in the mid-19th century in New Orleans, making it the official cocktail of the city. The drink is made by muddling a sugar cube with a few dashes of Peychaud's bitters, and a few drops of water, before adding the cognac stirring the contents together. Cognac is traditionally used, although a sazerac can be served with rye whiskey instead. 

Before pouring the drink into a chilled glass, a sazerac calls for an absinthe rinse, where absinthe is swirled around the glass and discarded before the cocktail is poured in and garnished with a lemon peel twist. While Bourdain's cocktail of choice was a Negroni, in his 2016 interview with Barron's, he mentioned that he doesn't particularly like to mix whisky — instead enjoying it on its own with a little bit of ice, according to his interview with Potluck – but appreciates a good sazerac.

The Manhattan differs from an old fashioned in terms of its presentation, garnish, and sweetness. While old fashioned cocktails, which can contain bourbon or rye, are typically served in rocks glasses, sweetened with simple syrup, and garnished with an orange peel, the Manhattan cocktail uses sweet vermouth instead. It's served in a cocktail glass and garnished with a maraschino cherry. 

When it came to choosing a whisky-based cocktail, Bourdain (who enjoyed his Scottish whisky straight with a little ice) told Barron's in 2016 that he preferred the sazerac or the Manhattan. "More often than not I don't believe in a good whisky. I don't want to mix it with anything ... I don't know, I'll have a Manhattan now and again," Bourdain said.

If one thing is clear, Anthony Bourdain rejected any drinks that came with a culture of pretension and snobbery. But, that's not to say that he didn't enjoy a good glass from time to time. In a 2017 Refinery29 interview, Bourdain shared his admiration for Burgundy wines, in particular, describing their complexity as almost "unknowable." 

"As I've gotten older, I'm becoming more interested in Cote du Rhone and Burgundy and less interested in Bordeaux," said Bourdain in an interview with Mixed Palate in 2012. His preference for Burgundy wines expanded with the filming of his "No Reservations" episode, in which he and chef Ludo Lefebvre took a road trip through the Burgundy region to learn about its historic viticulture and dining scene.

While most of this list is focused on Anthony Bourdain's favorite cocktails, there are some non-alcoholic beverages that Bourdain was known to enjoy in his lifetime. Enter: the papaya drink. For those outside New York, the unique combination of a papaya drink and hot dog is iconic – a trend that dates back to the 1930s when a Greek immigrant opened Manhattan's first Papaya King on the Upper East Side, selling tropical papaya juice alongside classic hot dogs. Once competitors like Gray's Papaya and Papaya Dog opened, the papaya juice and hot dog pairing became as unique to New York as the Empire State Building, cementing its status as "classic New York."In Bourdain's book, "World Travel: An Irreverent Guide," co-authored with Laurie Woolever, Bourdain refers to Gray's Papaya as "his second home."

"It's a classic. It's like, you know, red wine and beef, you know, white wine and fish, and papaya drink with a hotdog," said Bourdain of the hot dog and papaya juice pairing at Papaya King while filming in New York City for "A Cook's Tour."

Another classic New York beverage? A lime rickey, which Bourdain enjoyed alongside a tuna melt at the since-shuttered Eisenberg's Sandwich shop in Midtown Manhattan. The Jewish-style deli was founded back in 1929 and was beloved by Bourdain and locals alike for its enduring charm and vintage vibes. Eisenberg's was exactly the sort of place that appealed to Bourdain; it was classic, historic, and a quintessential part of New York City's dining culture. 

Bourdain explored Eisenberg's Sandwich in the episode "Disappearing Manhattan" on "No Reservations." He is shown debating between ordering an egg cream and a lime rickey before deciding on the latter to accompany his tuna salad. While Bourdain explains that he knows what a egg cream is, the lime rickey is another story. "The lime rickey on the other hand, I don't even know what the hell they are, I just know I love them," said Bourdain. "Maybe what? Lime juice, cherry syrup, and seltzer." While Eisenberg's lime rickey can no longer be found in New York, Californians can enjoy one of Bourdain's favorite beverages at Eisenberg's San Francisco pop-up.

Bourdain famously didn't care for designer coffee. He, instead, preferred his coffee like his cocktails: classically New York. "I like good coffee but I don't want to wait for it, and I don't want it with the cast of "Friends." It's a beverage; it's not a lifestyle," he said in a 2016 interview with Bon Appétit.

"I like my coffee in a cardboard cup with a picture of the acropolis on the side from the guy who sells doughnuts in the street. That cardboard flavor is an important component of my New York coffee drinking experience," said Bourdain in an interview with ABC News. "If it takes you longer to make my coffee than for me to drink it, then we have a basic problem." He is, of course, referring to bodega coffee served in a classic "Greek" cup. The cup, which was introduced in the 1960s, is a NYC staple. It features a blue-and-white design, Greek symbolism, and the phrase, "We are happy to serve you" (or some variation of that sentiment) printed across its front.

Much like complicated coffee orders, frilly beverages with over-the-top ingredients, wine geeks, and the craft beer scene, Bourdain famously disliked brunch. He considered brunch menus a dumping ground for restaurants to sell their Friday and Saturday night leftovers at a lower price point, throwing in some eggs, bacon, and bloody marys for good measure.

While Bourdain was quick to critique the fuss around brunch culture, he is on record as appreciating a well-made bloody mary in certain contexts. On his show, "No Reservations," Bourdain was filmed at Tokyo's Piano Bar, an establishment renowned for its elevated cocktails, enjoying a unique take on a bloody mary made with fresh tomatoes on the spot.

"So I enjoy very much how he plays on classic drinks ... he uses them as a starting point to do something new," said Bourdain of his Piano Bar bartender, commenting on the unique combination of sherry vinegar and fresh tomatoes used in his bloody mary. While the Piano Bar libation may not have been enough to make Bourdain a brunch convert, it was enough to add a bloody mary to this list.