If your birthday month had an official cocktail, what would it be? Would you be a warming, stiff drink? Or perhaps with your bubbly personality you'd be something colored pink? Whether you're a cocktail enthusiast or only imbibe on your special day, there is a cocktail out there for everyone. Grab your shaker, a cocktail glass, and the booze of your month and cheers to your birthday with one of these 12 birthday cocktail recipes.
Oh, and don't forget to pair it with the birthday cake of your birth month. There's nothing quite like a cake and cocktail pairing on your birthday!
1. January: The Penicillin
Dry January? Forget it. It's your birthday, you'll wait 'til February - it's the shortest month of the year after all. This month you'll be sipping on a Penicillin because even though it is your birthday everyone at the office is smearing their nasty germs all over the door knobs and you don't have time to get sick. Wait, maybe everyone is sick because they're not drinking enough whiskey to kill it?
Who knows, but nothing sounds better than a highball glass filled with some quality Scotch whisky, a twist of lemon, a hint of honey, a squeeze of ginger juice, and some smoky Laphroaig to top it off. Throw another log on the fire, it's your birthday. Time to sit back and relax. Get the recipe here.
2. February: Chocolate Cake Martini
For some reason you are craving nothing but chocolate. Perhaps you can blame all the candy companies for lining store fronts with those damn assorted chocolate candy heart boxes. Or maybe it's because you spent all of January trying to stick to a New Year's resolution and then instantly aborted the mission once your birthday month rolled around. Hey, it's a short month, why not celebrate all February long?
Either way, your sudden insatiable lust for chocolate means that your birthday cocktail is a chocolate martini. What could be better than rich Godiva chocolate liquor, cake flavored vodka, creamy half and half, and chocolate syrup all in one martini glass? Decadent, luscious, and sweet just like you, it's time to indulge in a birthday martini. Get the recipe here.
3. March: Blood Orange Gin & Tonic
Let everyone else have their Guinness and their Irish car bombs this month. You're unique. You want to defy the norm and be special with your own cocktail of the month. That's why you'll be cheersing to your birthday with a Blood Orange Gin & Tonic.
Okay, so a Gin & Tonic may not be the most unique cocktail on the block, but it's completely foolproof and you did add blood orange so that counts for something, right? A splash or two of gin here, a squeeze of blood oranges there, a sprig of thyme, a hint of lime, and some tonic water to top it all off. Yes, it's certainly good to be a March baby. Get the recipe here.
4. April: Strawberry Mimosa
Spring is here and you are ready to celebrate. Being your birthday month as well, you are in full blown birthday celebration mode and no drink brings on the party like a glass of sparkling wine. Also, strawberry season has just begun and you are going to indulge all you can.
Strawberry bundt cakes, strawberry shortcakes, strawberry salads, and anything else you can put strawberries on will all be paired with your birthday cocktail. That's why your cocktail is the Strawberry Mimosa. Too much strawberry? It's never too much when it's your birthday. Get the recipe here.
5. May: Mai Tai
Finally, the sun is out! Summer is just around the corner and you are ready to get your tiki birthday party on. Seeing as how it's a new year - at least for you - you want to do it right and that's why your cocktail is the Mai Tai. You can't go wrong with this tiki cocktail classic made of two kinds of rum, orange Curaçao, Orgeat syrup, a hint of lime, and a floating shot of rum - because why not?
Screaming tropical, a single sip will teleport you to a beach paradise even though you couldn't afford one so you decked out the backyard and invited all your friends. But hey, it's your birthday and you're about to have a blast. Bust out the grass skirts, mini cocktail umbrellas, and tiki mugs and lets get the party started! Get the recipe here.
6. June: Classic Margarita
Why are there so many tasty birthday cocktails that start with M? Perhaps it's because these cocktail illicit warm weather. Regardless, June babies are ready to party on down by kicking off their birthday right with a classic margarita. There is simply no cocktail better to sip on all June long than a margarita.
To make the classic right, you pour tequila, fresh lime juice, and triple sec into a cocktail shaker then strain into a cocktail glass. Maybe for round two you'll opt for a spicy jalapeño mango margarita or perhaps you'll throw pineapple in it. The day is yours and you're going to seize it the margarita way. Oh, but skip that frozen stuff. No need to purposefully water down drinks here. Get the recipe here.
7. July: Hurricane
Enough blueberries already! You get it, it's the season. But you're up to your ears in blueberries and the last thing you want is some blueberry cocktail. You are going to have it your way and party with all the rum.
Light rum, dark rum, a splash of orange juice, pineapple juice, and a splash of grenadine with an orange slice - that's what you want. You want the Hurricane. No need for 5 o'clock here. It's your birthday. If you want one for breakfast then damn it, you'll have it. Get the recipe here.
8. August: Pink Lemonade All Grown Up
The summer is starting to wind down and you can feel it. All those camping trips, backyard barbecues, road trips, and that one long stint at the beach house has taken its toll. For your birthday, all you want to do is relax on the porch and feel the kiss of the sun one last time before it goes into hibernation.
There, in your hand accompanying you on your special day is a nice tall glass of spiked pink lemonade. Who cares if it's pink, you certainly don't. It only makes it taste that much better. In fact, you drinking it has spawned a trend and now you're whipping up a pitcher, calling up the rest of your friends, inviting the neighbors, and are ready to get the party started. As soon as you finish your drink. Get the recipe here.
9. September: Kentucky Mulled Cider
It's a bit nippy out and you like it that why. You also like wearing sweaters, drinking warm beverages, and apple picking - but mostly because you get to gorge on warm apple cider donuts. We all know what you really love though is bourbon, and that's why for your birthday you get to drink all the Kentucky Mulled Cider you want. At least within reason, you still have work tomorrow.
Busting out the saucepan, add some apple cider vinegar, a few cinnamon sticks, and some clove. Pour it into your bourbon and sip away. You don't have anywhere you need to be today. Get the recipe here.
10. October: Maple Old Fashioned
Enough with the pumpkin spice already! You're tired of your birthday being synonymous with the flavor and everything colored orange. No, you don't want a pumpkin spice martini or a pumpkin spice Kahlúa hot chocolate - even though you wouldn't mind a sip or two.
You want a real drink. You want a Maple Old Fashioned. There's nothing more relaxing than a bourbon cocktail and the addition of maple makes it that much more special. Get the recipe here.
11. November: Pomegranate Negroni
Rather than spending another birthday responding to work e-mails or going to your kid's Thanksgiving school play that is in no way politically correct, you took the day off. What to do with one whole day? You have an I wish list longer than a five year old asking Santa for presents.
Wait, you've got it. You are going to read a book, buy something ridiculously expensive online you don't really need, and you're going to whip up one of those gourmet pictured recipes you've been dying to try but never had the time. You are also going to whip yourself up a tasty Pomegranate Negroni. A shot of gin, a splash of Campari, some sweet vermouth, and fresh pomegranate juice is precisely what you need to top off your birthday. Get the recipe here.
12. December: Manhattan
It's cold out. You've been dealing with a lot of holiday stress, ridiculous traffic jams, and to top it off, everyone kind of forgot your birthday. Okay, they didn't completely forget, but judging by all the day late happy birthday messages and lame gifts wrapped in newspaper - hey, at least it's not Christmas paper - you could use a good stiff drink. That's why your birthday cocktail is the Manhattan.
A delicious, stiff Manhattan. Some quality rye bourbon like Bulleit, sweet vermouth, a few dash of angostura bitters, and a cherry on top will set things right. Ah yes, it's finally good to be a December baby. Get the recipe here.
Don't like you're cocktail? Tough. We can't control the flavors anymore than you can control your birthday. Okay, I kid, I kid. Half birthdays count too, just swap it out.
