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Listen, we like a drink or two here in New York. (What with everything going on, gestures, everywhere, who doesn't?) But exactly which tempting tipple do New Yorkers most often sidle up to the bar and order? If you guessed the classic martini—that time-honored cocktail sloshed with gin or vodka, vermouth and your choice of garnish (we're partial to fat, juicy stuffed olives, but if you like yours with a lemon twist or pickled onion, we won't judge)—you'd be surprisingly mistaken.
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No, in a new study by The Ice Maker Hub—which culled together research from Google Keyword Planner to analyze the number of monthly searches on both a state and national level between August 2024 and July 2025 for specific cocktails—the martini didn't even crack the top 3 of NYC cocktail consumption. So, what could have possibly taken the top tumbler-shaking spot? Is it the Manhattan, that chest-puffing mix of rye whiskey, vermouth and bitters named after the city itself (and, potentially, invented here)? How about the Cosmopolitan, the pink-hued signature of everyone's favorite fictional New Yorker, Carrie Bradshaw?
Nope, it's actually the margarita, that fiesta-inducing tequila favorite, that claimed the No. 1 spot, with 30,073 monthly Google searches on average. (In terms of methodology, the study used search combinations including "[cocktail] recipe," "how to make [cocktail]," "what’s in a [cocktail]," "homemade [cocktail]" and “[cocktail] ingredients," with rankings based on the average monthly search volume for each cocktail.) Lucky, then, that Nueva York is filled with so many great places to get a muy delicioso margarita.
In second place is the old-fashioned, with 26,109 searches: Dating back to the 1800s, the OG sipper is traditionally made with whiskey (typically bourbon or rye), bitters and a touch of sweetener. Nationally, the old-fashioned is America's preferred drink, according to the study, raking in 414,773 monthly searches on average nationwide, and appearing at the top in 34 states including California, Texas and Florida.
Rounding out the liquored-up top three is, yes, a martini, but the espresso-laced sort: the espresso martini took in 25,645 monthly Google searches in New York and came in third overall nationwide, too, with more than 301,000 searches. (Margs came in second across the country, with 362,707 searches.)
You can check out the full list of most popular cocktails in the U.S. below. Where did your go-to cocktail order fall?
Rank |
Cocktail |
Average Number of Monthly Searches |
1. |
Old Fashioned |
414,773 |
2. |
Margarita |
362,707 |
3. |
Espresso Martini |
301,119 |
4. |
Mojito |
205,365 |
5. |
Moscow Mule |
162,935 |
6. |
Manhattan |
153,624 |
7. |
Piña Colada |
152,575 |
8. |
Martini |
132,212 |
9. |
White Russian |
124,407 |
10. |
Negroni |
120,083 |