There's no party like a college party. And a legal-aged college party needs prime college alcohol drinks. These aren't any bottom-shelf make you run to the fridge for a chaser type of drinks, though. These are the best drinks for college students that won't break the bank, or your tastebuds. Your reputation as the party place will continue.
Jungle Juice
There's no college drink as infamous through the years as jungle juice. The recipe varies not only from party to party but batch to batch. But that's part of the mayhem and fun. Tread lightly, though.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce vodka
- 1 ounce white rum
- ¾ ounce orange liqueur
- 1 ounce pineapple juice
- 1 ounce cranberry juice
- ½ ounce orange juice
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- Ice
- Lemon-lime soda to top off
- Mint sprig for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, vodka, rum, orange liqueur, pineapple juice, cranberry juice, orange juice, and lime juice.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into a highball glass over fresh ice.
- Top off with lemon-lime soda.
- Garnish with a mint sprig.
Jager Bomb
Hands down the most popular of all the bomb shots for college parties, this caffeine jolt is a race to the finish if you're doing one with friends.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces Jägermeister
- 4 ounces energy drink
Instructions
- In a shot glass, add Jägermeister.
- In a pint glass, add energy drink.
- Drop the Jägermeister shot into the energy drink.
- Bottoms up!
Dirty Shirley
Shirley Temple no more, the dirty Shirley calls for ingredients you probably already have on hand. No grenadine? No problem. Use cranberry or cherry juice instead. These pair well with a paper you've been putting off.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces vodka or silver rum
- 1 ounce grenadince
- Ice
- Lemon-lime soda or ginger ale to top off
- Lime wedge for garnish, optional
Instructions
- In a highball or rocks glass, add ice, vodka, and grenadine.
- Top off with lemon-lime soda.
- Garnish with a lime wedge, if desired.
Vodka Soda
The vodka soda, or its cousin the gin and tonic, is one of the easiest and most reliable college drinks. Only problem is, if it's bottom-shelf vodka, it's tough to swallow. A bit of lime juice covers a multitude of sins, thankfully.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces vodka
- Ice
- Club soda to top off
- Lime wedge for garnish
Instructions
- In a rocks or highball glass, add ice and vodka.
- Top off with club soda.
- Garnish with a lime wedge.
College Margarita
This isn't a Cadillac margarita, oh no, nor is it anything that needs agave syrup. You can find the staples for this margarita at the corner store. Except for the tequila.
Ingredients
- Lime wedge and salt rim for rim
- 2 ounces silver tequila
- 1 ounce lime juice
- ¾ ounce orange liqueur OR orange juice
- ¾ ounce simple syrup
- Ice
- Lime wheel for garnish
Instructions
- To prepare rim, rub the rim of the glass with the lime wedge.
- With the salt on a saucer, dip either half or the entire rim of the glass in the salt to coat.
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, tequila, lime juice, orange liqueur, and simple syrup.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into the prepared glass.
- Garnish with a lime wheel.
Long Island Iced Tea
When you can't settle on the spirit you want, why not have them all? The LIT has a little bit of this and a little bit of that for an all-or-nothing kind of approach. Or, go for something colorful, boozy, and blue with the Adios Mother.
Ingredients
- ¾ ounce gin
- ¾ ounce rum
- ¾ ounce tequila
- ¾ ounce vodka
- ¾ ounce orange liqueur
- ¾ ounce lemonade
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- Ice
- Cola to top off
- Lemon wedge for garnish
Instructions
- In a highball glass, add ice, gin, rum, tequila, vodka, orange liqueur, lemonade, and simple syrup.
- Top off with cola.
- Stir once.
- Garnish with a lemon wedge.
Tequila Shots
If you're paying for college and taking tequila shots, there's an excellent chance that this is the cheapest, or one of the cheapest, bottles on the shelf. Cut the sting with a little lime juice and simple syrup. Or take it straight.
Ingredients
- Lime wedge and salt for rim
- 1 ounce gold tequila
- ¼ ounce lime juice
- ¼ ounce simple syrup
- Ice
- Lime wedge
Instructions
- To prepare rim, rub the rim of the glass with the lime wedge.
- With the salt on a saucer, dip either half or the entire rim of the glass in the salt to coat.
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice tequila, lime juice, and simple syrup.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into the prepared glass.
- Take the shot then immediately bite into the lime wedge.
Whiskey Sour
Leave the eggs in the fridge, you don't need any for this whiskey sour. Just a few heaping ounces of citrus juice. Which is good, because everyone is always sick in college, and you'll need the vitamin C. An amaretto sour makes for an excellent alternative if you want something sweeter.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces whiskey
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- Ice
- Orange wedge and cherry for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, whiskey, lime juice, lemon juice, and simple syrup.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with an orange wedge and cherry.
Cinnamon Whiskey Fireball Shot
Nothing burns like cinnamon whiskey. Nothing shakes the chill of winter in college like cinnamon whiskey. Cut straight to the chase with Fireball whisky, hands down one of the most popular liquors among college students.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces cinnamon whiskey
- Ice, optional
Instructions
- If you want your whiskey chilled, add ice and cinnamon whiskey to a cocktail shaker.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into a shot glass. Otherwise, pour straight from the bottle into the shot glass.
Rum and Cola
In the same league as the vodka soda for those scrambling to gather quarters for laundry, the rum and cola is an easy go-to for all college students. A little sweet with the spiced rum, it goes down easy.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces spiced rum
- Ice
- Cola to top off
- Lime wedge for garnish
Instructions
- In a rocks or highball glass, add ice and spiced rum.
- Top off with cola.
- Garnish with a lime wedge.
Drunken Athlete
A newer evolution among college students, this combination of sports drink with alcohol is both a wonderful and terrifying invention. At least you'll probably have less of a hangover tomorrow. Maybe.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces vodka or tequila
- Ice
- Favorite sports drink
- Lemon slice for garnish
Instructions
- In a pint glass, add ice and vodka.
- Top off with your favorite sports drink.
- Garnish with a lemon slice.
Broke College Student's Margarita: Tequila and Sprite
Tequila and lime is a great duo. Just look at the margarita or even regular ol' tequila shots: it's always tequila and lime together. As a two-ingredient drink, this highball is a banger. Add a splash of orange liqueur? Instant almost-margarita.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces tequila
- ½ ounce orange liqueur, optional
- Ice
- Lemon-lime soda to top off
- Lime wheel for garnish
Instructions
- In a highball glass, add ice, orange liqueur (if using), and tequila.
- Top off with lemon-lime soda.
- Stir gently.
- Garnish with a lime wheel.
Broke Coladas
Too broke for a spring break trip to a tropical island? Spending night after night in your childhood bedroom counting down the hours until you can head back to campus? On campus and need a mental vacation? These questions all have an easy solution: a quick and cheap piña colada riff for college students. No pineapple soda? Pineapple juice or pineapple club soda does the trick.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces coconut rum
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- Ice
- Pineapple soda to top off
- Pineapple wedge for garnish
Instructions
- In a highball glass, add ice, coconut rum, and lime juice.
- Top off with pineapple soda.
- Stir briefly to mix.
- Garnish with a pineapple wedge.
College Drinks That Are Actually Good
There are college drinks, and then there are college drinks that you can actually drink. Any of the above are the latter. Don't suffer through a drink that could wash paint off of a wall. Stick to something far better. Whether a rum and cola, with a natural buffer, or stepping up your usual vodka soda, blegh-worthy college drinks are out, good college drinks are in. Just make sure everyone you're serving is of legal age.
