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Classic gin cocktails for the Certified Sommelier exam

The gin cocktails on the Court's Certified list, with the spirit, mixers, glass and garnish for each, the other classics worth knowing, and eight questions to test yourself.

Updated October 2026

Rewritten by Alper Billik, Advanced Sommelier

6 min read

The short answer: in the Certified service exam you may be asked to recommend a cocktail, or to say what goes into one. The Court of Master Sommeliers Americas publishes a list of 33 cocktails a Certified Sommelier should know, with their base spirits, mixers and garnishes. Eight are made with gin: the Aviation, French 75, Gibson, Gimlet, John Collins, Negroni, Tom Collins and Vesper. Learn those, plus the Dry Martini, and you have the gin side covered.

Where cocktails come up in the exam

Americas: the Certified exam guide says the service exam may ask you to describe the ingredients, mixers and garnishes of classic cocktails, and to recognise aperitif brands such as Lillet. The cocktail list itself is in the Court's curriculum guide, in its Resource Library.
Europe: the Court of Master Sommeliers Europe doesn't publish a cocktail list on its website. Its exams ask you to discuss, recommend and serve aperitifs, spirits and liqueurs, and its own study tips remind candidates not to forget the basic cocktails.

So whichever Court you sit with, expect cocktails as conversation at the table, not as a bartending test. You need to say what is in the glass, clearly and in the right order.

The gin cocktails on the Certified list

Cocktail	What goes in	Method, glass, garnish
Dry Martini	60 ml gin, 10 ml dry vermouth	Stirred with ice, strained into a chilled cocktail glass; lemon peel oils, or an olive if asked
Gibson	A Dry Martini	As the Martini, garnished with a cocktail onion
Vesper	45 ml gin, 15 ml vodka, 7.5 ml Lillet Blanc	Shaken, strained into a chilled cocktail glass; lemon zest
Negroni	30 ml each of gin, Campari and sweet red vermouth	Built in an old fashioned glass over ice, stirred gently; half an orange slice
Gimlet	Gin and lime cordial, or gin, fresh lime juice and sugar	Served up in a cocktail glass; lime
John Collins	45 ml gin, 30 ml lemon juice, 15 ml simple syrup, 60 ml soda water	Built over ice in a highball, stirred gently; lemon slice and a maraschino cherry
Tom Collins	The John Collins made with Old Tom gin	As the John Collins
French 75	30 ml gin, 15 ml lemon juice, 15 ml sugar syrup, topped with 60 ml Champagne	Shaken (without the Champagne), strained into a flute, topped up
Aviation	45 ml gin, 15 ml maraschino liqueur, 15 ml lemon juice, a bar spoon of crème de violette	Shaken, strained into a chilled cocktail glass; a maraschino cherry if you like

Dry Martini: What goes in60 ml gin, 10 ml dry vermouth; Method, glass, garnishStirred with ice, strained into a chilled cocktail glass; lemon peel oils, or an olive if asked

Gibson: What goes inA Dry Martini; Method, glass, garnishAs the Martini, garnished with a cocktail onion

Vesper: What goes in45 ml gin, 15 ml vodka, 7.5 ml Lillet Blanc; Method, glass, garnishShaken, strained into a chilled cocktail glass; lemon zest

Negroni: What goes in30 ml each of gin, Campari and sweet red vermouth; Method, glass, garnishBuilt in an old fashioned glass over ice, stirred gently; half an orange slice

Gimlet: What goes inGin and lime cordial, or gin, fresh lime juice and sugar; Method, glass, garnishServed up in a cocktail glass; lime

John Collins: What goes in45 ml gin, 30 ml lemon juice, 15 ml simple syrup, 60 ml soda water; Method, glass, garnishBuilt over ice in a highball, stirred gently; lemon slice and a maraschino cherry

Tom Collins: What goes inThe John Collins made with Old Tom gin; Method, glass, garnishAs the John Collins

French 75: What goes in30 ml gin, 15 ml lemon juice, 15 ml sugar syrup, topped with 60 ml Champagne; Method, glass, garnishShaken (without the Champagne), strained into a flute, topped up

Aviation: What goes in45 ml gin, 15 ml maraschino liqueur, 15 ml lemon juice, a bar spoon of crème de violette; Method, glass, garnishShaken, strained into a chilled cocktail glass; a maraschino cherry if you like

The measures are the International Bartenders Association's official recipes, where it has one. Bars vary them, and that's fine: the examiner wants the base spirit, the modifiers, the mixer and the garnish, not your exact millilitres. One more on the Court's list leans on gin: the Pimm's Cup, made with Pimm's No. 1, which is itself gin-based.

Other gin classics worth knowing

These aren't on the Americas list, but they are classics a guest may still order, especially in Britain:

White Lady: gin, triple sec and lemon juice, shaken and served in a chilled cocktail glass.
Singapore Sling: gin, cherry liqueur, Cointreau, Bénédictine, pineapple and lime juice, grenadine and a dash of Angostura, shaken and served long.
Pink Gin: gin with a few dashes of Angostura bitters.
Bronx: gin, sweet and dry vermouth, and orange juice.
Gin and French, Gin and It: gin with dry French vermouth, or with sweet Italian vermouth. The old names tell you which.
Martinez: gin, sweet vermouth, a bar spoon of maraschino and orange bitters, stirred. Often called the Martini's ancestor.

Know the bottles behind the drinks

London Dry gin is a method, not a place: the flavour comes from botanicals during distillation. Old Tom is a softer, slightly sweeter style.
Lillet Blanc: a French aromatised wine from Podensac, near Bordeaux: Bordeaux wines blended with citrus liqueurs. It is the Vesper's third ingredient.
Noilly Prat: a classic French dry vermouth, made in Marseillan in the Languedoc.
Campari: the bitter red Italian aperitif in the Negroni.
Angostura bitters: aromatic bitters made in Trinidad and Tobago. Despite the tiny doses, they are bottled at 44.7% alcohol.
Crème de violette and maraschino: a violet liqueur and a clear cherry liqueur, the two that make an Aviation.

How to answer at the table

Use one order every time: base spirit, then modifiers, mixer, method, glass and garnish. “A Negroni is equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth, stirred over ice in a rocks glass, with an orange slice.”
Then sell it. Say when you would offer it: a Negroni or a Martini before dinner, a French 75 to celebrate.
If you don't know one, say so and offer what you do know. A calm, hospitable answer earns more than a guess.
Learn them as families: the Martini, Gibson and Vesper; the Collins and the Fizz; the sours, such as the White Lady and the Aviation. One family, one structure.

Cocktails are one small part of the service exam. For the rest, read what the Certified practical exam is and my service exam tips. To drill spirits and cocktails daily, SOMM DIGI AI has 3,000+ exam-prep questions and makes quizzes on any topic you choose.

Quiz yourself with SOMM DIGI AI How to become a Certified Sommelier

Test yourself: eight questions

Question 1

Which three ingredients make a Negroni?

a)Gin, Campari and sweet vermouth
b)Gin, Aperol and prosecco
c)Gin, dry vermouth and orange bitters
d)Whiskey, Campari and sweet vermouth

Show answer

a) Gin, Campari and sweet vermouth. Equal parts gin, Campari and sweet red vermouth. With whiskey instead of gin it becomes a Boulevardier.

Question 2

A Gibson is a Dry Martini garnished with:

a)An olive
b)A lemon twist
c)A cocktail onion
d)A cherry

Show answer

c) A cocktail onion. The cocktail onion is the only difference between a Gibson and a Dry Martini.

Question 3

The Vesper is made with gin, vodka and:

a)Lillet Blanc
b)Dry vermouth
c)Cointreau
d)Campari

Show answer

a) Lillet Blanc. The Vesper's third ingredient is Lillet Blanc, the aromatised wine from near Bordeaux.

Question 4

In the IBA's recipes, what turns a John Collins into a Tom Collins?

a)Old Tom gin
b)Bourbon
c)Lime instead of lemon
d)Leaving out the soda

Show answer

a) Old Tom gin. The recipe is the same; the IBA says to use Old Tom gin for a Tom Collins.

Question 5

A French 75 is topped with:

a)Soda water
b)Tonic water
c)Champagne
d)Ginger beer

Show answer

c) Champagne. Gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup are shaken, strained into a flute and topped with Champagne.

Question 6

Which liqueur gives the Aviation its pale violet colour?

a)Crème de violette
b)Blue curaçao
c)Maraschino
d)Green Chartreuse

Show answer

a) Crème de violette. Maraschino is clear; the bar spoon of crème de violette gives the colour.

Question 7

How is a Dry Martini made, in the IBA's recipe?

a)Shaken with ice
b)Stirred with ice and strained
c)Built over ice in a rocks glass
d)Blended with crushed ice

Show answer

b) Stirred with ice and strained. Stirred in a mixing glass with ice, then strained into a chilled cocktail glass. The Vesper is the one that is shaken.

Question 8

Noilly Prat, the classic Martini vermouth, is made in:

a)Marseillan, France
b)Turin, Italy
c)Jerez, Spain
d)Porto, Portugal

Show answer

a) Marseillan, France. Noilly Prat is a French dry vermouth from Marseillan, in the Languedoc.

Questions people ask

Are cocktails on the Certified Sommelier exam?

They can come up in the service exam. The Court of Master Sommeliers Americas lists 33 classic cocktails a Certified Sommelier should know, with their spirits, mixers and garnishes. The Court of Master Sommeliers Europe asks candidates to know aperitifs, spirits and liqueurs, and to learn the basic cocktails.

Which gin cocktails should I learn for the Certified?

The eight on the Americas list: Aviation, French 75, Gibson, Gimlet, John Collins, Negroni, Tom Collins and Vesper, plus the Dry Martini they grow from.

Do I need exact measures?

Know the base spirit, the other ingredients, the method, the glass and the garnish. Measures help you explain the balance, but bars vary them.

What is the difference between a Gibson and a Martini?

The garnish. A Gibson is a Dry Martini served with a cocktail onion.

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