52 Weeks of Cocktails Challenge

The 52 weeks of cocktails challenge will continue in 2023! The idea for this cocktail challenge was suggested by a colleague at the end of 2021 after I shared my chocolate peppermint spritz cookies that were my final bake of the reddit 52 weeks of baking challenge. Doing a new bake every week furthered my knowledge of baking.

I dabbled in cocktails in my first year of blogging. However, it wasn’t until I started making cocktails at home every week that I began to understand what I liked and how easy it was to create a great, well-balanced cocktail.

a cucumber martini with cucumber garnish.

Join the cocktail challenge for a great all-around cocktail education and to expand your home cocktail bar. Or join just to play more with your favorite mixed drink and see how it changes when you use different simple syrup recipes. You can join at any time and for any number of weeks. But please join us!

How it works

Below is the new list of cocktail challenges for 2023. It’s intended to be broad to get exposure to a variety of common spirits and styles of cocktails. This year’s challenge adds more weeks that are easier for folks making mocktails instead of cocktails.

Are there things missing? Absolutely. But, for example, if you really love a Sazerac, you should be able to find several weeks where you can have your Sazerac.

a pale green cocktail in a coupe on a silver tray.

I should apologize in advance to any readers who are in the Southern hemisphere. That’s because the list has icy cocktails in summer for those of us in the Northern hemisphere. Feel free to adjust the list to your seasons.

And I feel compelled to say, “Please drink responsibly.”

white wine sangria jello in a standing and fallen wine glass.

Cocktail of the week

1	January 6	Martini
2	January 13	Rum
3	January 20	Garnish
4	January 27	Mocktail
5	February 3	Clarified Cocktail
6	February 10	Champagne Flute
7	February 17	Tropical
8	February 24	Grapefruit or Other Citrus
9	March 3	Fortified Wine
10	March 10	Non-Martini “Martini”
11	March 17	Baileys Irish Cream
12	March 24	TV or Movie-Inspired
13	March 31	Coffee or Tea
14	April 7	Old Fashioned
15	April 14	Brandy
16	April 21	Lowball (Rocks) Glass
17	April 28	Margarita
18	May 5	Mint Julep
19	May 12	Layers and Floats
20	May 19	Gin
21	May 26	Use the Blender
22	June 2	Simple Syrups
23	June 9	Vodka
24	June 16	Punch
25	June 23	Spritz
26	June 30	Jello
27	July 7	Mojitos
28	July 14	Moscow Mule
29	July 21	Wine
30	July 28	Frozen
31	August 4	Sour
32	August 11	Highball Glass
33	August 18	Berries or Stone Fruit
34	August 25	Amaro
35	September 1	Purple
36	September 8	Tequila
37	September 15	Apple or Pear
38	September 22	Negroni Week
39	September 29	Martini Glass
40	October 6	Manhattan
41	October 13	Liqueur
42	October 20	Pumpkin
43	October 27	Halloween
44	November 3	Whiskey
45	November 10	Infusion
46	November 17	Cranberry
47	November 24	Creamy
48	December 1	Mai Tai
49	December 8	Absinthe
50	December 15	Fire!
51	December 22	Red
52	December 29	Bubbly

a cranberry negroni in a lowball glass surrounded by fresh cranberries.

FAQs

Where and when will you post?

I will try to post the cocktail of the week on Instagram and my Facebook group every Friday of this 52 weeks of cocktails challenge. If you join, please feel free to share at any time. Just use the hashtag #52weeksofcocktails, so I can find it!

Do you have a cocktail recipe book you can recommend?

I have the Cocktail Codex, which is fabulous, as well as a few others. Online, I recommend the Difford’s Guide as a resource. But mostly I would recommend learning what it is that you like in a cocktail and playing around with proportions and ingredients. That’s what this cocktail challenge is all about.

I don’t know where to start. Help!

Start with the classic cocktails and bartending basics. For the martini in week 1, if you don’t know whether you prefer a gin or vodka martini, make both and compare. Or compare gins to see how different they can taste. Or change the proportions and make a very dry martini with a ratio of 5 parts gin to 1 part vermouth, and compare it with a wet martini and see which you like best.

Each week, I’ll try to share some of thoughts and suggestions for the following week.

This 52 weeks of cocktails challenge was first posted January 5, 2022. It was last updated December 26, 2022.