To ensure impartiality, the identical recipe is painstakingly measured, including dilution, in milliliters for each cocktail by USC's world-class professional bartenders, Team Cocktail. The following recipes are the basic recipes that Team Cocktail worked from for 2018's USC Cocktails.

Vodka: Flame of Love
Ingredients:
2 oz. unflavored vodka
0.5 oz Lustau fino sherry
3 orange peels
Method: Coat cocktail glass with sherry by swirling then dump. Flame the orange peels in the glass and discard. Strain vodka into glass.
Glass: Cocktail

Gin: Dry Martini 
Ingredients:
2.5 oz. gin
0.75 oz. Dolin dry vermouth
Method: Stir vermouth with ice in cocktail glass, discard excess, leaving ice and glass coated with vermouth. Pour gin into glass, stir and strain into chilled cocktail glass.
Glass: Cocktail

Rum/Light & Dark: Papa Doble
Ingredients:
2 oz. rum
0.5 oz. fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
0.5 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
0.25 oz. Marasca maraschino liqueur
Method: Fill shaker halfway with ice. Add rum, both juices and maraschino liqueur and shake vigorously. Strain into chilled cocktail glass.
Glass: Cocktail

Irish & World Whiskey: The Copywriter
Ingredients:
2 oz. Irish whiskey
0.75 oz. fresh squeezed lemon juice
0.5 oz. Dolin sweet vermouth
0.5 oz. 1:1 honey water
1.5 oz. club soda
Method: Shake whiskey, vermouth, lemon juice and honey water with ice; strain into Collins glass; top with club soda.
Glass: Collins

Scotch & Japanese Whisky: Rob Roy 
Ingredients:
2 oz. Scotch whisky
0.75 oz. Dolin sweet vermouth
Dash Angostura bitters
Method: Pour whisky and vermouth into mixing glass filled halfway with ice; stir and strain into coupe glass.
Glass: Coupe

Rye & Canadian Whisk(e)y: Old Fashioned 
Ingredients:
2 oz. rye whiskey
0.5 oz. simple syrup
1 orange wheel
2 dashes Angostura bitters
2 Luxardo maraschino cherries
Method: Muddle sugar, orange wheel, bitters and 1 maraschino cherry in rocks glass until sugar is dissolved. Add rye whiskey, ice to glass; stir.
Glass: Rocks

Bourbon Whiskey: Gold Rush 
Ingredients:
2 oz. bourbon
0.75 oz. honey syrup
0.75 oz. lemon juice
Method: Put bourbon, honey syrup and lemon juice in Boston shaker, shake vigorously; strain into rocks glass with one ice cube.
Glass: Rocks

Cognac, Armagnac & all grape-based aged Brandy: Sidecar
Ingredients:
2 oz. brandy (grape-based)
0.75 oz. Cointreau
0.75 oz. lemon juice
0.25 oz. simple syrup
Method: Shake brandy, Cointreau and lemon juice with ice in Boston shaker; strain into cocktail glass; no sugar rim for USC 2018.
Glass: Cocktail

Calvados & apple brandy: Nassau St. Cocktail
Ingredients:
1 oz. Calvados/apple brandy
0.5 oz. Cynar
0.5 oz. Dolin sweet vermouth
2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
Method: Build all ingredients in mixing glass, add ice, stir; strain into coupe glass.
Glass: Coupe

Pisco: Chilcano
Ingredients:
2.5 oz. pisco
0.5 oz. lime juice
0.5 oz simple syrup
2.5 oz. ginger ale
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Method: Mix pisco, simple syrup, and lime juice in mixing glass; stir; add ice and ginger ale; add Angostura.
Glass: Collins

Tequila Blanco & Reposado: Soul Train
Ingredients:
2 oz. blanco or reposado tequila
1 oz. grapefruit juice
0.5 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
0.5 oz. cardamom flavored simple syrup
SS Method: Cardamom simple syrup: steep 25 cardamom pods in 1quart water and 1 cup sugar overnight; strain through cheesecloth for final mixture.
Method: Combine tequila, simple syrup, and juices in ice-filled Boston shaker; shake vigorously; strain into rocks glass.
Glass: Rocks

Tequila Añejo: Old Fashioned Añejo 
Ingredients:
3 oz. añejo tequila
0.5 oz. simple syrup
2 slices of blood orange
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Method: Muddle sugar and blood orange wheels in mixing glass until sugar is dissolved; add tequila and ice; stir; strain into rocks glass; add bitters.
Glass: Rocks

Mezcal: Last Word Dos
Ingredients:
1.5 oz. mezcal
0.5 oz. Green Chartreuse
0.5 oz. Marasca maraschino liqueur
0.5 oz. lime juice
Method: Combine all ingredients in mixing glass filled hallway with ice; shake in Boston shaker; strain into coupe glass.
Glass: Coupe

Baijiu & Shochu: Asian Sour
Ingredients:
2 oz. baijiu or shochu
1 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
1 oz. simple syrup
Method: Shake baijiu/shochu, Cointreau and lime juice with ice; strain into Collins glass.
Glass: Collins