13 Intense Cocktails Over 40% ABV

Some drinkers just have a palate for stiffer beverages, the kind of cocktails that possess higher alcohol by volume (ABV) and generally hit much stronger than a run-of-the-mill Cosmopolitan. For those looking to get intoxicated fast without drinking straight hard liquor, there are a number of cocktails running at 40% ABV or higher to help imbibe with a bit more finesse. With mixology techniques often leaning toward blending multiple strong liquors together rather than a fancy presentation and balanced flavor profile, many of these cocktails are relatively simple to make.

Here are 13 of the best and most intense cocktails with an ABV of at least 40%. As always, whenever alcoholic beverages are involved, please drink responsibly and in moderation. With that in mind, here are some of the strongest cocktails that have since been embraced by the wider drinking scene.

One popular writer known for their love of strong spirits was Ernest Hemingway, the author of literary classics like "A Farewell to Arms" and "For Whom the Bell Tolls." One concoction invented by Hemingway while he lived in Paris is Death in the Afternoon, first listed in a 1935 cocktail recipe book "So Red the Nose, or a Breath in the Afternoon" (per The New York Times). Sharing its name with Hemingway's 1932 novel, Death in the Afternoon blends potent French alcohols and lives up to its macabre moniker. For his part, Hemingway credited three sailors he met for developing the cocktail, advising readers to drink "three to five of these slowly" and claiming it would "put hair" on the drinker's chest.

Traditionally, a Death in the Afternoon is served in a champagne flute, with iced champagne (12% ABV) poured over a shot of absinthe (45% ABV) to create a truly formidable cocktail (via Liquor.com). Variations have the absinthe poured over the champagne instead, due to the sparkling wine's tendency to remain buoyant over the liquor. A weaker variant substitutes Pernod (40% ABV) instead of absinthe while other recipes have a dash of bitters and a crushed sugar cube sprinkled in the glass prior to the addition of the alcoholic ingredients.

New Orleans has one of the most robust drinking scenes in the United States, with the French Quarter known for its vibrant nightlife and strong cocktails. A local favorite is the Sazerac, which originated in the city in the 19th century as rye was transported down the Mississippi River, with New Orleans as the last port of call. In 1849, the Merchants Exchange Coffee House was sold by its proprietor Sewell T. Taylor to turn into an importer of spirits, most notably, French cognac (per Sazerac). The combination of French liqueur and American rye served as the basis for Sazerac, which was introduced shortly thereafter.

Traditional Sazeracs involve rinsing the interior of an old-fashioned glass with absinthe prior to adding a muddled sugar cube, 1/2 teaspoon of water, three dashes of Peychaud's bitters, and two dashes of Angostura bitters — then 1.25 ounces each of rye (80% ABV) and cognac (40% ABV) are added and stirred with ice until chilled, with the mixture strained back into the glass and served with a lemon peel garnish (via Liquor.com). In 2008, locals officially voted the Sazerac as the official cocktail of New Orleans further underscoring its cultural significance to the city and representing the Big Easy's penchant for hard drinks (per Esquire).

The Zombie lives up to its name by potentially turning even the hardiest of drinkers into a shuffling, moaning wreck! The cocktail's creation is widely attributed to restauranteur Donn Beach, who owned Don the Beachcomber in Los Angeles, inventing the drink in the 1930s to cure a patron's hangover (per Make Me A Cocktail). Earning its infamous name by making its inaugural drinker seem like a zombie, Beach imposed a two-drink maximum for future customers ordering the beverage.

A traditional Zombie involves mixing three different types of rum (each 40% ABV) with a variety of additional ingredients to mask the flavor and potency of the concoction. Three shots of rum, a dash of Angostura bitters (44.7% ABV), a dash of Pernod (40% ABV), 1 teaspoon falernum (11% ABV), 1 teaspoon lime juice, and 1 teaspoon grenadine are poured into a blender. After blending well, the mixture is poured into a highball glass, with a sprig of mint, lemon slice, and cherry added as a garnish. Some variants remove the Pernod and slightly reduce the ABV by adding grapefruit juice and simple syrup instead.

On its own merits, a classic martini is a relatively powerful cocktail popularized by the James Bond film series as the drink of choice for the iconic British secret agent. For those looking for a stiffer drinking experience than the classic martini, a popular variant is the Bone Dry Martini which eschews some of the mixers to emphasize the hard liquor components. The push for a stronger, dryer martini has led to the introduction of variants ever since the martini's reported debut in 1882 (per Difford's Guide), with the Bone Dry Martini among the absolute driest.

Nearly three times as strong as a standard martini, the Bone Dry Martini is prepared by adding two shots of vodka or gin and six ice cubes to a mixing glass and stirred until ice cold (via Kuletos). The stirred beverage is then strained into a chilled martini glass, with a lemon peel added as garnish, with some variants adding green olives to the mix. With the removal of vermouth, the Bone Dry Martini is virtually a glorified double-shot of vodka or gin but with all the classiness one comes to expect from a martini in the first place.

The Four Horsemen is one of those cocktails that doesn't dress up its intent with fancy mixing techniques or inventive ingredients, it's simply a beverage designed to get its drinker intoxicated quickly. The cocktail has four different types of common, big-brand whiskey combined into a single drink, meant to be shot as quickly as possible rather than try to ruminate over its flavor profile and nuances. Named after the biblical Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the cocktail trades out fiery shock and awe for easy inebriation and a potential killer hangover the following morning.

Though there are several variations of the Four Horsemen, most recipes involve whiskeys with brand names that all begin with the letter "j." Commonly, the Four Horsemen consists of a 1/2 shot Jim Beam, 1/2 shot Jack Daniel's, 1/2 shot Jameson, and 1/2 shot Johnny Walker Black (all at 40% ABV) poured into a rocks glass (per Go Puff). With only a light stir — if mixed at all — the concoction is meant to be ingested in a single gulp before the drinker realizes the boozy folly (and salacious flavor) they've just committed to.

While the Long Island Iced Tea has been thrilling drinkers since its widespread introduction in 1972, the Blue Motorcycle offers a more refreshing and tropical twist to the beverage without compromising its alcohol content. Instead, the Blue Motorcycle's changes to its cocktail progenitor lean more toward flavor and coloration — with the mixed drink's origins similarly pointing to 1970s New York, though no definitive creator has been identified (per Another Cocktail Blog). While its bright blue coloration and tropical flavor may not be immediately associated with a grizzled biker, the Blue Motorcycle certainly packs a punch.

A Blue Motorcycle contains a 1/2 shot of vodka, 1/2 shot rum, 1/2 shot tequila, 1/2 shot gin, and 1/2 shot Blue Curacao to give the drink its flavor and namesake color. Instead of the Long Island Iced Tea's cola, a Blue Motorcycle uses lemon-lime soda and a dash of sour mix, with the liquors and sour mix shaken with ice until chilled. The mixture is strained into a Tom Collins glass and topped with lemon-lime soda to give it its deceptively sweet and tropical taste (via On the Gas).