Home › Jazz Age Cocktails
Party guide
Gatsby Cocktails: Classic Drinks from the Jazz Age
The Great Gatsby is set during Prohibition, when alcohol was illegal to make or sell in the United States, yet the novel overflows with drink. This guide collects the drinks Fitzgerald mentions, with classic recipes, alcohol-free alternatives and tips for hosting a Gatsby-style party.
Please drink responsibly. These recipes are for adults of legal drinking age. Never drink and drive, a lesson the novel itself makes painfully clear, and every recipe has an alcohol-free version below.
Drinking in the Novel
Prohibition began in 1920 and lasted until 1933. In The Great Gatsby it is ignored almost everywhere: at Gatsby’s parties, in Tom and Myrtle’s apartment, at the Plaza Hotel. Drink also points to the source of Gatsby’s money. In Chapter 7 Tom reveals that Gatsby and Meyer Wolfshiem “bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter.”
| Drink | Where it appears |
|---|---|
| Cocktails | Served before dinner at the Buchanans’, where Jordan turns them down because she is “absolutely in training” (Chapter 1) |
| Whisky | Tom brings out a bottle at the apartment party, the second time in his life Nick gets drunk (Chapter 2) |
| Champagne and cocktails | Flow all night at Gatsby’s party, where champagne comes “in glasses bigger than finger-bowls” (Chapter 3) |
| Highballs | Ordered at lunch with Meyer Wolfshiem (Chapter 4) |
| Sauterne | Daisy holds a bottle on the night before her wedding (Chapter 4) |
| Gin rickey | Tom brings in “four gin rickeys that clicked full of ice” on the hottest day of summer (Chapter 7) |
| Mint julep | The group heads to the Plaza looking for “a place to have a mint julep” (Chapter 7) |
Classic Recipes
Gin Rickey
The drink Tom serves in Chapter 7: tart, fizzy and made for hot weather. A true rickey has no sugar.
- 2 oz (60 ml) gin
- Juice of half a lime
- Chilled soda water
- Lime wedge to garnish
Fill a highball glass with ice. Add the gin and lime juice, top with soda water and stir gently. Drop in the squeezed lime shell or garnish with a wedge.
Mint Julep
A Southern classic, fitting for Daisy, who grew up in Louisville.
- 2 oz (60 ml) bourbon
- ½ oz (15 ml) simple syrup
- 8–10 fresh mint leaves, plus a sprig to garnish
- Crushed ice
Gently press the mint leaves with the syrup in a julep cup or rocks glass. Add the bourbon, pack with crushed ice and stir until the outside of the cup frosts. Top with more ice and a mint sprig.
Champagne Cocktail
For a party in the spirit of Chapter 3.
- 1 sugar cube
- 2–3 dashes Angostura bitters
- Chilled champagne or other dry sparkling wine
- Lemon twist
Place the sugar cube in a champagne flute and soak it with the bitters. Slowly fill with champagne and garnish with a lemon twist.
Highball
The simplest of the era’s mixed drinks.
- 2 oz (60 ml) whisky
- 4–5 oz (120–150 ml) chilled soda water or ginger ale
Pour the whisky over ice in a tall glass, top with soda or ginger ale and stir once.
Bee’s Knees
“The bee’s knees” was 1920s slang for something excellent. Honey and lemon made rough gin easier to drink.
- 2 oz (60 ml) gin
- ¾ oz (22 ml) fresh lemon juice
- ¾ oz (22 ml) honey syrup (equal parts honey and warm water)
Shake with ice and strain into a chilled coupe.
Alcohol-Free Gatsby Drinks
Lime Rickey (Mocktail)
The non-alcoholic rickey was a soda-fountain favourite in its own right.
- Juice of one lime
- ½ oz (15 ml) simple syrup, or to taste
- Chilled soda water
Build over ice in a tall glass, top with soda and garnish with lime.
Virgin Mint Julep
- 8–10 mint leaves
- ½ oz (15 ml) simple syrup
- Juice of a quarter lemon
- Ginger ale or soda water
- Crushed ice
Press the mint with the syrup and lemon, add crushed ice and top with ginger ale or soda.
Sparkling “Champagne” Punch
- 1 part white grape juice
- 1 part sparkling water or lemon-lime soda
- Lemon slices and a few berries
Mix in a punch bowl over ice and serve in coupes or flutes for the full Gatsby effect.
Hosting a Gatsby Party
- Music: jazz and dance-band music of the 1920s. At Gatsby’s party the orchestra plays a piece called “Jazz History of the World.”
- Decor: gold and black, Art Deco shapes, feathers, candles and string lights in the garden.
- Bar: Gatsby’s had “a real brass rail.” Set up a drinks table with a few signature drinks and plenty of alcohol-free options.
- Dress code: see our guide to Art Deco fashion.
- Getting home: arrange taxis, rideshares or designated drivers before the party starts.
Want to know where these parties come from? Read Chapter 3, Fitzgerald’s famous description of one of Gatsby’s nights.