The Strongest Cocktail In The World Is Just Liquor

While most usually prefer cocktails to have a balance of enticing flavor while simultaneously raising one's spirits, sometimes there's a desire to sacrifice taste for something more stalwart. Trying to get the courage to get out on the dance floor? You might want to consider ordering an Aunt Roberta — if you can find a bartender to make one.

An Aunt Roberta is not for liquor newbies or the faint of heart. The booziest cocktail in the world hosts several spirits — and only spirits — that give this drink its teeth, and the amount of alcohol it contains is far greater than the average number of shots in a standard mixed drink. There are no sodas or mixers to dilute the alcohol in this high-ABV beverage comprised solely of vodka, absinthe, gin, brandy, and blackberry liqueur.

However, ordering one at the bar might give a bartender pause. Some folks have never heard of an Aunt Roberta, and even if you're lucky enough to run across a mixologist who knows how to make it, not all establishments allow something that potent to be served. You may have the best luck trying it at home after a trip to the liquor store. The question is whether it's worth the effort (and money for all that booze). Generally, the higher the ABV of a cocktail, the more bitter it will be. But the Aunt Roberta might surprise you when it comes to drinkability.

Although the overuse of spirits is one of the mistakes everyone makes when mixing cocktails, many are still constructed without any mixers to mellow the taste of the alcohol within. A four horseman is a whiskey shot featuring Jack Daniels, Johnnie Walker, Jim Beam, and John Jameson. It is all booze, and it tastes like it. Despite how an Aunt Roberta follows suit with no mixers tapering the bitterness of the alcohol, some swear by the libation's appeal.

In Reddit's subreddit r/cocktails, folks who had never tried it were skeptical, with one poster saying, "The absinthe would take a sledgehammer to any other flavors." However, those experienced with it claimed the spirits harmonized well together. One Redditor claimed, "The vodka and gin dilute it to a manageable level and it marries up nicely with fruity notes from the brandy and blackberry liqueur!" 

This makes sense when you think about it. Absinthe — averaging between 55% and 72% ABV — has a distinctly potent flavor, though it's not even close to the strongest liquor in the world. Anise and bitter wormwood combine with herbal notes from added botanicals to create a noticeably profound taste. Because absinthe is typically diluted with water or sugar before consumption, it follows that combining the liquor with piney gin, sweet brandy, and blackberry liqueur could form an exceptional beverage. If you try one and enjoy it, raise your glass to the legacy of the drink's inventor and namesake — Aunt Roberta.

Not much is known about the name behind the world's strongest cocktail, but legend has it that she was an Alabaman woman who lived during the late 1800s. After fleeing from an abusive home at a young age, she eventually found herself running a fledgling bootleg liquor business. She sold gin and moonshine from her makeshift booze shack to local customers. One night, she came up with the recipe for her highly alcoholic cocktail by accident while intoxicated. Patrons of her unauthorized liquor shack were enthusiastic about the new invention, but some didn't drink it responsibly. It is said to have caused the deaths of 34 people within two years.

One of Aunt Roberta's customers, a raccoon hunter named Billy Joe Spratt, concocted his version of the drink after realizing its appeal. He named the beverage after its true inventor and began selling it in bars he established in New York. In two years, Spratt became a millionaire due to the success of this boozy cocktail.

It should go without saying that this is a refreshment you should drink slowly and responsibly. Martinis have an ABV of around 30%, and a bourbon-based old fashioned can be as high as 32%, but the amount of alcohol in an Aunt Roberta can reach 39.4% ABV, a rough average of the total ABV of the constituent liquors. It might taste good and get the party started, but that much liquor could lead to a bad time if you're not careful.