If you enjoy making cocktails at home, you’ve probably come across a bottle of cocktail bitters. These small but powerful ingredients add depth, complexity, and balance to drinks ranging from the classic Old Fashioned to a refreshing gin and tonic. But one question often comes up among home bartenders: Do bitters contain alcohol?

If you’ve ever stood behind your home bar wondering, “Should I shake or stir my cocktail?”, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common questions home bartenders ask—and the answer can make a noticeable difference in the finished drink.

Sweet cocktails have their place, but sometimes you want something with a little more depth. Savory cocktails bring together herbs, spices, citrus, salt, vegetables, and bitters to create drinks that are complex, balanced, and surprisingly food-friendly. If you're ready to move beyond the usual sweet-and-sour cocktail, these five are a great place to start.

For years, the cocktail world seemed to be driven by sweetness: fruit-forward drinks, flavored syrups, sweet liqueurs and elaborate garnishes. But in 2026, bartenders and home mixologists are taking cocktails in a more savory direction—and the results are anything but ordinary.

IIf you’ve ever enjoyed a Margarita, a Sidecar, or even a Cosmopolitan, you owe a debt of gratitude to a drink you may have never actually ordered: The Daisy.

The Paper Plane is a modern classic cocktail that proves great drinks don’t need a long history to earn a permanent place on the menu. Created in 2008 by renowned bartender Sam Ross at the famed New York bar Milk & Honey, the Paper Plane quickly took off thanks to its perfect balance and approachable flavor profile. Inspired by the equal-parts structure of classics like the Last Word, this cocktail is both easy to make and impressively complex in taste.