This map reveals the most searched for cocktails in every state.
Move over Margarita, the United States now favors a different classic cocktail.
The Aperol Spritz is the most popular cocktail in the United States, with 22 states ranking it as their favorite, according to a new study released by Coffeeness. The Margarita comes in second , with 17 states favoring it, and the Old Fashioned takes third place, with nine states preferring it. Rounding out the top five cocktails, the Moscow Mule took fourth place, with seven states indicating that as a preference, and the Mimosa squeaked into fifth, with three states favoring it.
Coffeeness, which is an online resource for coffee enthusiasts that publishes independent reviews and comparisons of coffee-related products, determined the popularity based on analysis of Google search volume data. The team at this Germany-based resource first compiled a list of 200 of the world’s most popular cocktails, then they analyzed the search volume data for each individual cocktail state by state to reveal which ones were the most popular.
To find out the most popular cocktails in each state, we first researched the most popular cocktails and put together a list of 200 of them. We then explored and analyzed the Google search volume data for each cocktail by state, which revealed which ones are the most popular.
The results of the data ranking Aperol Spritz Margarita, Old Fashioned, Moscow Mule and Mimosas as the most popularly searched cocktails indicates that Americans tend to prefer cocktails with a spritzy, zesty, sweet and/or spicy taste over cocktails with a creamy taste, like White Russians or Espresso Martinis, says Ivana Zec, outreach manager for Coffeeness.
Other online search analytics and studies, not conducted by Coffeeness, have frequently named the Margarita as the most popular cocktail in the United States, but this new study indicates that it may not be as popular as it once was.
The Aperol Spritz, which is made with Aperol, Prosecco and club soda with an orange garnish, was especially favored in states with hot climates, including California, Florida, and Arizona. It was also favored in states with large, Italian American communities including New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey.
The tequila-based Margarita, however, remained popular in a swath of different states including Maine, Texas and Tennessee.
The Old Fashioned, made with whiskey, bitters and sugar, was the number one cocktail in Kentucky, which actually has officially enshrined the cocktail as the official state cocktail, but it was also popular in several Midwestern states like Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota (which could, depending on how you view American geography as a western state).
Wisconsin also ranked the Old Fashioned as a popular cocktail, but in Wisconsin Old Fashioneds are different from the rest of the world, as they are made with brandy, muddled cherries and oranges, then topped with sweet, sour or club soda. Wisconsin, according to Coffeeness, also liked Mimosas, Moscow Mules and Margaritas, which might be indicative of its heavy drinking culture, as it is home to some of the drunkest cities in the country.
“In addition, the revelation that Aperol Spritz is the undoubted overall favorite suggests that, while America was once not too fond of drinks containing bitters, tastes over recent years have been steadily evolving,” Zec says.