Classic Cocktails

• The top three Midori cocktails are variations on classic cocktails that have been around for decades. Before Midori, variations on the martini generally interchanged gin with vodka, adjusted vermouth ratios or made the cocktail by stirring or shaking. Adding 1/2 oz. of Midori to the mixture gives the martini a brand new taste and color. For a new take on a margarita, replace the Curacao or Cointreau in the recipe with Midori for a fresh, melon-flavored drink. Many types of liquor are used to make drinks called sours, which combine the standard sweet and sour bar mixer with various hard liquors. When the mixer is combined with Midori, the flavors mellow each other into a smooth, appealing taste that secured third place on the list.

Flavorful Contenders

• The enticingly named Illusion is fourth on Midori's top 10 list. Midori's version of this evolving cocktail combines their product with triple sec, vodka and the juice of lemons and pineapple. One of the simplest cocktails is number five, Midori Lemonade. Add 1 1/2 oz. of Midori to a tall glass of lemonade, add ice and enjoy. June Bug, a tropically flavored cocktail created by a bartender at a T.G.I. Friday's restaurant in Korea, is the sixth place winner on the list. The drink is a flavorful mixture of pineapple and lemon juice, Midori, coconut rum and banana liqueur.

Unique Blends

• Although most bubbly drinks get their fizz from carbonated soft drinks, the Midori Sparkler, number seven on the list, is a simple mixture of Midori and dry Champagne or sparkling wine. The dryness and bubbles complement the sweetness of the melon-infused Midori. Number eight, the whimsically named Sex on the Beach, is a distinctive mixture of Midori, vodka, raspberry liqueur, pineapple juice and cranberry juice. The ingredients combine to make a brown beverage whose appearance belies its sweet, light taste.

Last on the List

• The ninth place cocktail, Spumoni, was originally made with Campari and club soda. The Midori version replaces the Campari with their brand and both drinks are light, with low alcohol content, making them good midday refreshments. Universe, the tenth place cocktail on Midori's survey, won the grand prize in 1978 at the U.S. Bartenders' Guild Annual Competition based on its unique flavor combination of Midori, vodka, pistachio flavored liqueur, lime juice and pineapple juice.