If you’re hosting a cat-themed cocktail party soon, you’ll need some tasty beverage recipes to serve at your gathering. Why not stick with the feline motif and serve your adult party guests some cat-themed drinks? Read on to find nine delicious and memorable cocktails you should absolutely be whipping up for your cat-loving guests.
The 9 Cat-Themed Cocktail Recipes
1. Catster Recipe – Strawberry Moscow Mew
Catster Recipe – Strawberry Moscow Mew
The Moscow Mule is a classic cocktail featuring vodka, ginger beer, and lime juice. Despite its name, it actually originated in America in the 1940s and not Russia. It’s traditionally served in a copper mug as copper conducts temperature, taking on the beverage’s temperature as it’s poured into the glass. The mug keeps it cold and frosty while also simultaneously enhancing the flavor of the vodka.
Our Moscow Mew recipe takes the traditional cocktail and adds some fresh strawberries for a delicious, fruity twist purr-fect for summertime.
- 2 ounces vodka
- 4 ounces ginger beer
- 5 fresh strawberries
- ½ pc lime juiced
- Ice
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Cut off the stems of your strawberries, and then wash and dry them.
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Add the berries and the juice from half of a lime to your copper mug.
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Using your muddler, firmly press and twist the fruit and the juice together.
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Pour in the vodka.
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Top with ice and ginger beer.
Image Credit: VDB Photos, Shutterstock
2. Tom Cat Old Fashioned
This Tom Cat Old Fashioned recipe is the most complicated (and time-consuming) one on our list, but the end result is a fantastic vintage cocktail. Originally developed in the 1800s, the Old Fashioned is a classic drink all bartenders need to know how to craft.
This particular recipe requires you to make house bitters, which is a two-week process, so give yourself plenty of time before your cat-themed party to prepare it.
| Number of Servings: | 2 |
| Difficulty Level: | Advanced |
Ingredients
- 2 ounces gin
- 2 ounces mezcal
- 1 ½ ounces dry sherry
- 1 ½ ounces sweet vermouth
- 8 drops of house bitters
- Dehydrated grapefruit slices
- 3 orange, 1 lemon, and 2 grapefruit peels
- 2 ½ cups overproof rum
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 star anise pod
- 4 cardamom pods
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- Ice
Equipment
- Cocktail shaker
- Coupe glasses
- Oven
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Sterilized glass jar
- Pot
- Fine-mesh sieve
- Cheesecloth
- Funnel
- Small bottle with an eye dropper
Instructions:
To make the house bitters:
- Preheat your oven to 225°F. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange two-thirds of the orange peels and all prepared grapefruit peels onto the sheet.
- Bake until fully dehydrated, approximately 30 minutes, and allow to cool to room temperature.
- In your sterilized glass jar, combine the dehydrated peels with the rum, lemon peels, cinnamon sticks, star anise pods, cardamom pods, and fresh nutmeg. Put on a tight lid and shake the mixture vigorously.
- Store in a warm place near a window for up to 2 ½ weeks (or until the desired flavor is achieved).
- Transfer the contents of the jar to a pot and simmer over medium heat for five minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature, and then strain the liquid through a sieve with two layers of cheesecloth.
- Transfer the liquid to a small bottle with an eye dropper and keep it in a cool, dry place.
To make the cocktail:
- Combine the sherry, vermouth, bitters, and gin in your cocktail shake. Fill with enough ice to reach the lip of the shaker and shake vigorously.
- Put a few ice cubes into your coupe glasses.
- Strain the shaker contents into the glasses and garnish with grapefruit slices.
3. Meowgarita
Margaritas—oh, sorry, meowgaritas—are a versatile drink with a history shrouded in mystery. No one knows for sure where the cocktail originated, though it’s most likely to be a product of the United States-Mexico border region.
Classic margs are made with tequila, triple sec, and lime juice, so that’s exactly what you’re going to find in this recipe. However, you can jazz up your cocktail by adding some frozen berries to the blender.
| Number of Servings: | 4 |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
Ingredients
- Crushed ice
- 1 ½ ounces tequila
- Juice from two limes
- Splash of Triple-Sec
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 5 ounces strawberry puree
Instructions:
- Combine all of your ingredients in the blender and puree until smooth.
- Divide the drink between four glasses.
4. The Tipsy Cat
The Tipsy Cat cocktail may not have the cult-like following of the old-fashioned or the margarita, but this refreshing martini beverage shouldn’t be passed by so quickly. Cathead Honeysuckle vodka adds a sweet and delicate flavor, while the elderflower liqueur adds a fresh, fruity taste with notes of pear, peach, and grapefruit.
| Number of Servings: | 1 |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
Ingredients
- 1 ½ ounces Cathead Honeysuckle vodka
- ¾ ounce elderflower liqueur
- 3 slices of fresh cucumbers
- 2 slices of fresh lemon
- Club soda
Equipment
- Muddler
- Cocktail shaker
- Martini glass
Instructions:
- Add the elderflower liqueur, cucumber, and lemon slices to your cocktail shaker and muddle them together.
- Pour in the vodka and double-strain the mixture into your martini glass.
- Splash in some club soda and garnish with a cucumber and lemon slice.
5. Cheshire Cat Cocktail
The Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland is one of the most instantly recognizable feline-inspired characters. Mischievous and unpredictable, the Cheshire Cat acts as a guide for young Alice as she adventures through Wonderland. This cocktail takes the fun, stripy color scheme of the Cheshire Cat and adds some adult flair with cherry and strawberry vodka, as well as blue Curaçao.
| Number of Servings: | 1 |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
Ingredients
- 1-ounce cherry vodka
- ½ ounce strawberry vodka
- 1-ounce blue Curaçao
- ½ ounce grenadine
- 2 ounces Sprite or 7-Up
- Purple sanding sugar
- Lemon
- Ice
Equipment
- Small plate or bowl
- Large serving spoon
- Shaker
- Glass
Instructions:
- Prep your glass by rubbing a lemon wedge along the rim. Pour your sanding sugar onto a small plate or in a bowl, and dip your glass in the sugar.
- Add your cherry and strawberry vodkas with the grenadine to a bartender shake with a few ice cubes. Shake well.
- Fill your prepped glass ¾ full with ice, and top with the vodka mixture.
- Rinse out your shaker.
- Add the blue Curaçao and Sprite or 7-Up, and shake well to combine.
- Hold your large serving spoon upside down above your vodka-filled glass and slowly begin pouring your 7-Up/blue Curaçao mix on top. If you do this slowly enough, the two colors will not mix, giving you that Cheshire cat-inspired color scheme.
6. Black Cat Cocktail
This Black Cat Cocktail offers a sweet and fizzy combination of vodka, lemon-lime soda, blackcurrant juice, and blue Curaçao. It’s super simple to whip up, and its unique and tasty flavor profile is something you have to try yourself to believe.
| Number of Servings: | 1 |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
Ingredients
- 3 ounces 7-Up or Sprite
- 1 ½ ounces vodka
- 1-ounce blue Curaçao
- 1-ounce blackcurrant juice
- 1 tbsp of fresh lime juice
- Blackberries or lime wedge
Equipment
- Martini shaker
- Spoon
- Martini glass
Instructions:
- Combine soda, vodka, blue Curaçao, and juice into a martini shake.
- Stir to combine the ingredients.
- Pour liquid into a martini glass and garnish with a few blackberries or a lime wedge.
7. Tom & Jerry
The Tom & Jerry is a classic holiday cocktail with origins dating back to the early 1800s. It may not be named after the cartoon cat-and-mouse duo, as it appears as if it is the drink that inspired the name of the cartoon.
This cocktail certainly involves some preparation, but the result is a rich, decadent, and comforting beverage, perfect for sipping around the fire on Christmas.
| Number of Servings: | 12 |
| Difficulty Level: | Advanced |
Ingredients
- 6 eggs, separated into whites and yolks
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- 4 tbsp butter
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-ounce dark rum
- 1-ounce cognac
- Hot milk
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Bowl
- Spatula
- Glass or mug
- Whisk
Instructions:
To make the Tom & Jerry batter:
- Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar in your stand mixer until stiff peaks form.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and butter until combined.
- With the spatula, fold the yolk mix into the egg white. Be careful so as not to knock out the air. Add in the vanilla extract, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon, and fold gently to incorporate.
- Cover and refrigerate the batter until ready to serve.
To make the beverage:
- Place a heaping tablespoon of the batter into each mug.
- Add in the rum and cognac.
- Top with hot milk, whisking carefully while pouring.
- The resulting drink should be foamy and well-combined.
- Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg if desired.
8. The Cat’s Meow
This cocktail is similar to White Russians in ingredients, though the proportions and consistency differ a bit. Not to mention the adorable drawn-on chocolate syrup and cherry cat face, which is what sets The Cat’s Meow apart from a White Russian.
| Number of Servings: | 1 |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
Ingredients
- 1 ½ ounces Kahlua
- 1 ½ ounces Stolichnaya vodka
- 3 ounces whipping cream
- Ice
- Chocolate syrup
- ½ maraschino cherry
Instructions:
- Pour the Kahlua, vodka, and ice into your blender and blend until thickened.
- Pour liquid into your martini glass.
- Place your half maraschino cherry in the middle of the glass to act as a nose, and draw on the whiskers with your chocolate syrup.
- Note: If you’re watching your caloric intake, replace the whipping cream with skim milk.
9. Calico Cat
This delicious, creamy, cold brew-containing concoction from Cointreau was apparently inspired by the 2019 film Cats. It comes together quickly, and the bitter and sweet orangey mixture of the Cointreau offers a bright, crisp, and citrusy taste that pairs nicely with the cold brew.
| Number of Servings: | 1 |
| Difficulty Level: | Easy |
Ingredients
- ¾ ounce Cointreau
- 4 ounces cold brew
- ½ ounce heavy cream
- 5 ounces mezcal
- ¼ ounce simple syrup
- 1 dash cinnamon
- Orange sugar, for rimmer
- Orange twist
Instructions:
- Add the liquid ingredients and dash of cinnamon into a shake tin filled with ice.
- Shake vigorously and strain into an orange sugar-rimmed highball glass.
- Top your beverage off with an orange “cat tail” twist.
Final Thoughts
A cat cocktail party is a fun and memorable theme your party guests will be talking about for a long time. Any (or all) of the nine cat-themed cocktail recipes above will certainly make your soiree an event worth remembering.
Featured Image Credit: Vershinin89, Shutterstock