The perfect cocktail for each of the 50 US states (plus Puerto Rico)

From a Prickly Pear Margarita to Spiked Milk, every cocktail has a story behind it. We've picked a cocktail for every state, so what does this cocktail say about your state?

Alabama – Tallulah

Alabama loves its boiled peanuts and native daughter Tallulah Bankhead.
What’s in it: Peanuts, coke, whiskey (use Conecuh Ridge Whiskey – the state spirit)
Try at home

Alaska – Northern Lights

A tip of the cap to one of Alaska’s most beautiful natural wonders.
What’s in it: gin (try Anchorage Distilling Aurora Gin), lemon juice, simple syrup, Angostura bitters, sparkling wine, cranberry sauce
Try at home

Arizona – Prickly Pear Margarita

The prickly pear cactus (aka tuna) is a popular sight in the Sonoran Desert – and can tint this margarita with the same hues as those famous southwestern sunsets.
What’s in it: tequila, cointreau, lime juice, prickly pear syrup
Try at home

Arkansas – Champagne cocktail

This drink sparkles like the gemstones at Crater of Diamonds State Park, the only active diamond mine in the USA.
What’s in it: sugar cube, Angostura bitters, champagne
Try at home

California – The Surfer

It’s all about catching that one big, bro.
What’s in it: Jagermeister, coconut-flavored rum, pineapple juice
Try at home

Colorado – John Denver

Raise a glass to Colorado’s adopted son.
What’s in it: limeade, corona, tequila, 7-up, orange juice
Try at home

Connecticut – Brandy Alexander

Well … it's known as the Nutmeg State.
What’s in it: cognac, crème de cacao, cream, nutmeg
Try at home

Delaware – Twisted Bob Marley

In honor of the Reggae legend who called the state his home for years.
What’s in it: dark rum, gold rum, white rum, lime, melon liqueur, simple syrup, grenadine
Try at home

Florida – Screwdriver

Best with some freshly squeezed Florida oranges.
What’s in it: orange juice, vodka
Try at home

Georgia – Bellini

Nothing like a fresh Georgia peach.
What’s in it: peach puree (use fresh peaches), prosecco
Try at home

Hawaii – Mai Tai

You really can't have one without the other.
What’s in it: dark rum, amber rum, cointreau or triple sec, orange juice, lime juice, vanilla extract, granulated sugar, grenadine
Try at home

Idaho – Vodka Sour

All those potatoes have to go somewhere.
What’s in it: vodka (go for Idaho's own 44° North Vodka), lemon juice, simple syrup
Try at home

Illinois – Old Fashioned

Though not invented in the Windy City, this drink got its moniker from an 1880 Chicago Tribune clip and became solidified in cocktail culture by the Chicago bar Chapin & Gore.
What’s in it: bourbon or rye whiskey, Angostura bitters, 1 sugar cube (or a teaspoon sugar)
Try at home

Indiana – Spiked Milk

Feel like you’ve grabbed the checkered flag with this creamy concoction that celebrates the Indianapolis 500.
What’s in it: vodka, drambuie, vanilla simple syrup, cream, muddled mint leaves
Try it at home

Iowa – Cedar Sour

This fun cocktail doubles as a craft project and tastes like the Iowa prairie.
What’s in it: cedar rye, lemon juice, lemon thyme syrup, egg white
Try at home

Kansas – Horsefeather

Invented in Lawrence, Kansas, in the 1990s, this drink spices up the standard bourbon and ginger recipe
What’s in it: whiskey (or rye or a blended whiskey), ginger beer, Angostura bitters
Try at home

Kentucky – Oaks Lily

This little-known signature drink of the Kentucky Oaks race is a fantastic alternative to the mint julep.
What’s in it: vodka, lime juice, triple sec
Try at home

Louisiana – Sazerac

One of the oldest cocktails in the United States, this is New Orleans in a glass.
What’s in it: absinthe, rye whiskey, cognac, sugar cube, Peychaud’s bitters, Angostura bitters
Try at home

Maine – Allen’s Flip

Featuring Mainers’ favorite coffee-flavored nip, this drink will warm you from head to toe.
What’s in it: Allen’s Coffee-Flavored brandy, brandy simple syrup, egg
Try at home

Maryland – Black-Eyed Susan

The official drink of the Preakness Stakes, this is Maryland’s drink of choice for horse races.
What’s in it: bourbon whiskey, peach schnapps, vodka, orange juice, sour mix
Try at home

Massachusetts – Cosmopolitan

Carrie Bradshaw’s signature drink was originally popularized at gay bars in Provincetown – so raise a glass to the Bay State’s cranberry bogs and queer cocktail culture.
What’s in it: vodka, cointreau (or triple sec), cranberry juice, lime juice
Try at home

Michigan – Bullshot

A mid-century favorite first embraced by Detroit drinkers who bellied up at the iconic Caucus Club.
What’s in it: vodka, Campbell’s beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco hot sauce
Try at home

Minnesota – The Bootleg

Favorite of native son F. Scott Fitzgerald, this drink is a throwback to the days when sugar, juice, and soda were needed to doctor up bathtub gin.
What’s in it: gin, vodka or rum, club soda, sugar, water, lemonade (or lemonade concentrate), limeade (or limeade concentrate), minced mint leaves, lime bitters
Try at home

Mississippi – Mudslide

A sweet, dairy-forward favorite at preppy fern bars in the ‘70s and ‘80s, this cocktail matches the color and flow speed of the mighty Mississippi at full churn.
What’s in it: vodka, coffee liqueur, Bailey’s Irish Cream, heavy cream
Try at home

Missouri – Mark Twain

This smoky, layered take on a whiskey sour was actually Mark Twain’s favorite drink for all occasions.
What’s in it: scotch whisky, lemon juice, simple syrup, Angostura bitters
Try at home

Montana – Huckleberry Lemonade

In Montana, huckleberries are life and this drink honors that unabashed devotion.
What’s in it: huckleberry vodka, fresh lemonade
Try at home

Nebraska – Red Beer

A Midwestern favorite for everything from brunch to tailgating, a close tomato-powered cousin of both Bloody Marys and Micheladas.
What’s in it: ale, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, olive juice
Try at home

Nevada – Picon Punch

Basque immigrants who poured into the American West during the gold rush years brought the aperitif Amer Picon with them, and their descendants still favor this regional classic.
What’s in it: Ramazzotti amaro, dry curaçao, gentian liqueur (combo acts as a substitute for Amer Picon which is no longer available in the US), brandy, grenadine, soda water
Try at home

New Hampshire – Spiked Apple Cider

Fall in New Hampshire is synonymous with apple cider, which gets a little kick with this cocktail.
What’s in it: apple cider, dark rum, cinnamon schnapps, granny smith apple, fresh lemon juice
Try at home

New Jersey – Born to Rum

If we don't honor the Boss, what are we even doing?
What’s in it: rum, fresh lime juice, apple, lime, seltzer,
Try at home

New Mexico – Hatch Chile Margaritas

New Mexico’s signature peppers provide a sweet, tangy note to a traditional margarita.
What’s in it: tequila, agave nectar, freshly squeezed lime juice, hatch chiles, fresh orange juice,
Try at home

New York – Manhattan

A granddaddy in the cocktail world and perfect nod to the elegant days of the world-famous borough.
What’s in it: rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, Angostura bitters
Try at home

North Carolina – The Cherry Bounce

Raleigh’s beloved drink actually predates North Carolina’s capital, but they’ve been intertwined for over 200 years.
What’s in it: cherry vodka, cranberry juice, lime juice, club soda
Try at home

North Dakota – Smith & Kearns

Named for two regulars at a North Dakota watering hole called the Blue Blazer who’d come to town for the oil industry and demanded a sweet, peppy drink.
What’s in it: coffee liqueur (or creme de cacao), cream, club soda
Try at home

Ohio – Boozy Buckeye

This peanut-butter dream tastes like the confection named after the nut from Ohio's native tree.
What’s in it: Bailey’s or bourbon, hot chocolate mix, hot water, peanut butter, whipped cream
Try at home

Oklahoma – Edna’s Lunchbox

Named for the Oklahoma City dive bar that invented it, Edna’s Lunchbox.
What’s in it: amaretto, light beer, fresh orange juice
Try at home

Oregon – Marionberry Gimlet

Oregon invented the marionberry, so it's only fair that the Beaver State’s signature fruit be shown off in this tart take on a classic gimlet.
What’s in it: gin, marionberry liqueur, fresh lime juice, simple syrup
Try at home

Pennsylvania – Pickleback

A shot of whiskey, a shot of pickle juice. If it’s good, this strong, assertive drink should make at least one eye close.
What’s in it: Irish whiskey, pickle juice
Try at home

Rhode Island – Martini

In honor of the nation’s smallest state.
What’s in it: gin, dry vermouth
Try at home

South Carolina – Peninsula Tea

The essence of southern summers on the porch down in the Low Country.
What’s in it: sweet tea vodka (Firefly is a good choice), bittermilk ginger honey syrup, lemon juice, ginger ale
Try at home

South Dakota – El Presidente

Raise a glass to Mount Rushmore – we won’t tell that this Prohibition-era cocktail got its start in Cuba as a tribute to either Mario García Menoca or Gerardo Machado.
What’s in it: white rum, orange curaçao, dry vermouth, grenadine
Try at home

Tennessee – Lynchburg Lemonade

Named for the town where Jack Daniels is distilled and featuring Tennessee’s famous whiskey in a timeless sour format, perfect for bachelorette parties in Nashville, dancing in Memphis, or tailgating in Knoxville.
What’s in it: whiskey (preferably Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7), triple sec, sour mix, lemon-lime soda
Try at home

Texas – Paloma

Nothing cuts the Texas heat like this sweet, tart thirst-quencher.
What’s in it: tequila (preferably blanco), grapefruit juice, club soda, lime, sugar syrup or honey
Try at home

Utah – Bee's Knees

The famously teetotaling Beehive State got its nickname from the Book of Mormon, and this drink gets its sugary buzz from honey instead of simple syrup.
What’s in it: gin, fresh lemon juice, honey syrup
Try at home

Vermont – Maple Collins

Nowhere in the nation makes more maple syrup than Vermont, and there’s plenty of the sweet, woodsy tang in this take on a classic Tom Collins.
What’s in it: maple-flavored whiskey, lemon juice, pineapple juice, simple syrup, club soda
Try at home

Virginia – Stars and Stripes

From Arlington National Cemetery to the Virginia Military Institute to Norfolk Naval Station, Virginia has a strong military presence.
What’s in it: Giffard Cassis Noir de Bourgogne, Luxardo Maraschino liqueur, Green Chartreuse liqueur
Try at home

Washington – The Aviation

This high-flying drink is the perfect toast to Boeing’s home state, and the pretty purple color brings to mind those rare Ranier sunsets after the rain clears out.
What’s in it: gin, Maraschino Liqueur, fresh lemon juice, creme de Violet,
Try at home

West Virginia – Apple Pie Moonshine

Ridge runners used to go to great lengths to conceal their mountain stills during Prohibition, but this apple inflected drink made with white lightning is good enough that you’ll want to share with friends.
What’s in it: apple pie moonshine, apple juice, lemon juice, sliced apple wedges, cinnamon sticks
Try at home

Wisconsin – Pink Squirrel

Wisconsin may be known for its beer, but it’s also where the Pink Squirrel was invented. Milwaukee gave birth to this creamy concoction in the 1940s using the state’s other great ingredient – dairy.
What’s in it: crème de noyaux, white crème de cacao, heavy cream
Try at home

Wyoming – Boilermaker

This cowboy country staple is as fun to combine as it is to sip! Bottoms up!
What’s in it: whiskey, beer
Try at home

Washington, DC – The Rickey

Invented in the District in the 1880s, this Victorian fizzer’s enduring popularity has outlasted 26 presidents.
What’s in it: gin, fresh lime juice, club soda
Try at home

Puerto Rico – Piña Colada

The country’s national drink is truly a Caribbean vacation in a glass.
What’s in it: white rum (or coconut milk), cream of coconut, unsweetened pineapple juice
Try at home

Meghan O'Dea assisted with this article.