Author Notes:
- This is an incomplete and ongoing list. Check-in regularly for new additions!
- Your health and safety are important to us, so please be sure to drink responsibly.
- This list is in no way official, so if you have a better drink for your state let us know in the comments!
One of my bucket list goals is to one day visit all 50 United States. As a kid, we did a lot of road trips up and down the east coast, so I had seen a small chunk of them by the time I started traveling as an adult. That being said, I didn’t have an actual running list of the states I had visited. So, I started brainstorming new and creative ways to keep track, and what I landed on wasn’t exactly the kind of list I was expecting.
After watching a Buzzfeed video on the signature drinks of all 50 states, I was inspired to do a little research of my own. Just like with food, every destination has its own unique style. You may not always like the drink, but it gives you a taste of the local flavor and always gets a conversation going with the bartender!
Here is a running list of all 50 (unofficial) state cocktails!
The Rum Runner – Nothing says beach drinks like a bright, fruity, cocktail, and that’s just what the Rum Runner is all about! Said to have been created in the 1950s at a Florida tiki bar, the drink itself was named after the bootleggers that ran rum during Prohibition (1920-1933) in the Florida Keys.
Allen’s Coffee Brandy & Milk – Dubbed “the Champagne of Maine”, it’s reported that 85% of Allen’s produced is sold in Maine. As the story goes, it was a popular addition to the morning coffee for early-morning lobster fishermen.
Fun fact: Allen’s is actually manufactured in Massachusetts! But since 85% of the product goes straight to Maine, it’s no wonder it’s their official cocktail.
The Cape Codder – Nothing says Massachusetts like cranberries! There are about 13,250 acres of cranberry bogs in Massachusetts, making it the most produced crop in the state. Throw a little vodka in your cranberry juice and not only do you get a wildly popular drink for college students, but you also get Massachusetts’ very own, homegrown, cocktail.
Fun Fact: The Cape Codder was created by Ocean Spray cranberry growers in the 1940s! Just about ten years after being founded in Hansen, MA.
The Bronx – Okay, so the name makes this one a little confusing, but while the drink itself is named after the NYC borough it was actually created in Phillidelphia. When this retired restauranteur put his spin on a Perfect Martini, he decided to name it after his old New York neighborhood.
Rhode Island Red – This drink was actually invented in California by an Italian-born bartender. At the time, he was working at the Providence in LA, so tying in the restaurant’s namesake seemed fitting. And since the Rhode Island Red is Rhode Island’s state bird, the state decided to adopt the drink as their own.
Jack & Coke – It’s a classic, it’s easy, and it’s made from their own Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whisky. This combo is a staple at any bar, no matter what part of the country you’re in, and chances are you’ve already tasted this little bit of local flavor.
Bonus Drink: “Lynchburg Lemonade” was a close runner up and my personal favorite. While it’s listed as a Tennessee drink (because of the Jack Daniels), it was actually created at a restaurant in Alabama and named after the hometown of the American Whisky it used.
Copper Barley – This drink is said to be Virginia’s signature cocktail due to the fact that it’s made exclusively with malt from the Virginia Highland Malt distillery. That being said, it’s almost impossible to find anything about the origin of this drink online, so I’m not 100% positive it ever even existed.
Bartender’s Choice: Virginia was one of the states in which our bartender had never heard of this “state drink”. We asked him what he thought the cocktail that most represented Virginia would be, and while nothing specific came to mind, he thought it would be something whiskey-based. This inspired us to start a new trend of asking bartenders what they would say the state drink would be should the one on our list be unfamiliar to them.
Think there’s a different cocktail that better represents your state? Drop a suggestion in the comments below!