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Cocktail (1988)

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After being discharged from the Army, Brian Flanagan moves back to Queens and takes a job in a bar run by Doug Coughlin, who teaches Brian the fine art of bar-tending. Brian quickly becomes a patron favorite with his flashy drink-mixing style, and Brian adopts his mentor's cynical philosophy on life and goes for the money.

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1988, Romance/Comedy, 1h 44m

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Critics Consensus

There are no surprises in Cocktail , a shallow, dramatically inert romance that squanders Tom Cruise's talents in what amounts to a naive barkeep's banal fantasy. Read critic reviews

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Brian Flanagan (Tom Cruise) wants a high-paying marketing job, but needs a business degree first. Working as a bartender to pay for college, Flanagan is mentored by his veteran boss, Doug Coughlin (Bryan Brown). Together, their showy tricks and charisma command large crowds and tip payments -- until Flanagan and the cynical Coughlin have a falling out. Flanagan moves to Jamaica to raise enough money to open his own bar, where he falls in love with artist Jordan Mooney (Elisabeth Shue).

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama

Original Language: English

Director: Roger Donaldson

Producer: Robert W. Cort , Ted Field

Writer: Heywood Gould

Release Date (Theaters): Jul 29, 1988  original

Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016

Box Office (Gross USA): $77.3M

Runtime: 1h 44m

Distributor: Touchstone Pictures

Production Co: Touchstone Pictures, Interscope Communications

Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

Cast & Crew

Brian Flanagan

Bryan Brown

Douglas 'Doug' Coughlin

Elisabeth Shue

Jordan Mooney

Laurence Luckinbill

Kelly Lynch

Kerry Coughlin

Gina Gershon

Roger Donaldson

Robert W. Cort

John Mellencamp

Original Music

J. Peter Robinson

Dean Semler

Cinematographer

Neil Travis

Film Editing

Donna Isaacson

John S. Lyons

Production Design

Art Director

Hilton Rosemarin

Set Decoration

Ellen Mirojnick

Costume Design

Heywood Gould

Screenwriter

News & Interviews for Cocktail

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Critic Reviews for Cocktail

Audience reviews for cocktail.

A classic that helped launch Tom Cruise's career. I have never seen this before but I really enjoyed it and I can see why many others also enjoyed it.

So hilariously bad I can't even explain it. There aren't words to describe how awful this is, but I think it's at least deliberately awful...there's no way anyone could've thought this wasn't going to be terrible while they were making it.

This is actually one of my favourite Tom Cruise films.

What has Mr Cruise done to blokes over the years huh. He made us all wanna join the military so we could play with fighter jets and have a cool nickname, play/hustle nine-ball for a living, be a NASCAR driver...but at one point he also made all men wanna become bartenders. The image...behind a slick neon lit bar, fast money and easy sex, who would say no?. Well the plot in this ever so 80's flick is a cocktail of drama in itself!. Kicks off as a loose dumb story about a young guy who learns to be a bartender and throws bottles around awful looking swanky yuppie/suit type bars. From there we get cheating, backstabbing and escapism to Jamaica where a soppy love story breaks out. More backstabbing follows as we proceed to more heartbreak and the involvement with older rich women, much more fun then. Yet more breakup, death of a friend and eventual makeup leading to the obvious happy ending. A veritable rollercoaster of a plot which is totally uninteresting and rather cringeworthy. Watching Cruise pose and strut around with his wide toothy grin and hair that can't decide to be straight or curly is somewhat painful at times. The bar scenes are really quite crap looking back, I remember how people thought this stuff was sooooo cool (laugh out loud!). The cast is also another odd cocktail of choice. Aussie Bryan Brown who never really made much of a splash in Hollywood is a bizarre choice. Whilst Shue was never very attractive in my book and hardly sells her character, so dreadfully vanilla and dull!! geez!!. Brown is just totally uncool and annoying whilst Shue is a wet fish. Add to that the constant flow of hyped over acting and mugging by Cruise...oh god it makes you wanna vomit in your Singapore Sling!. A film for the ladies I think as the only things that interested me was a few female arse shots and the thought of what life would be like as a sex toyboy for a rich middle aged business woman (I would of stuck it out). In places this film is very awkward to watch, bordering on embarrassing. So completely and utterly dated (in a bad way) and serves no purpose other than a history lesson on 80's social gatherings and what people thought was cool employment at the time. A time when Cruise's ego was sky high alongside his over acting, mind you what's new.

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Cocktail (1988) Stream and Watch Online

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Want to watch ' Cocktail ' on your TV, phone, or tablet? Discovering a streaming service to buy, rent, download, or watch the Roger Donaldson-directed movie via subscription can be a challenge, so we here at Moviefone want to help you out. We've listed a number of streaming and cable services - including rental, purchase, and subscription choices - along with the availability of 'Cocktail' on each platform when they are available. Now, before we get into the nitty-gritty of how you can watch 'Cocktail' right now, here are some particulars about the Interscope Communications, Touchstone Pictures, Silver Screen Partners III drama flick. Released July 29th, 1988, 'Cocktail' stars Tom Cruise , Bryan Brown , Elisabeth Shue , Lisa Banes The R movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 44 min, and received a user score of 61 (out of 100) on TMDb, which put together reviews from 1,373 top users. What, so now you want to know what the movie's about? Here's the plot: "After being discharged from the Army, Brian Flanagan moves back to Queens and takes a job in a bar run by Doug Coughlin, who teaches Brian the fine art of bar-tending. Brian quickly becomes a patron favorite with his flashy drink-mixing style, and Brian adopts his mentor's cynical philosophy on life and goes for the money." 'Cocktail' is currently available to rent, purchase, or stream via subscription on Criterion Channel, Apple iTunes, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, and AMC on Demand .

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Cast & Crew

Brian Flanagan

Bryan Brown

Douglas 'Doug' Coughlin

Elisabeth Shue

Jordan Mooney

Laurence Luckinbill

Traditional values trump glitz. Not for kids.

• Average 4.2

Information

© 1988 TOUCHSTONE PICTURES

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Rotten Tomatoes® Score

Cruise was never been a bad actor, but this film about a flaming sex symbol has elevated him to definitive stardom. [Full review in Spanish]

Cocktail kicks off with an entertainingly lighthearted opening stretch revolving around Brian's initial entry into the world of bartending...

Cocktail is a vacuous throwback to Saturday Night Fever -- without the cultural novelty. The script is spiked with some comic lines, but overproof doses of inadvertent humor kill the effect.

As if realizing that his star hasn't smiled for 15 minutes, Donaldson tacks on a goody-goody ending that would shame the Care Bears. How to sum up what went wrong? Cruise has a line in the movie: "Flat beer from rusty pipes."

Ultimately, the ideas in this film fall as flat as stale beer and honest emotions are as watered down as cheap whiskey. This Cocktail is definitely on the rocks.

Cocktail is so steeped in corn, the drama seems comedic and the comedy is about as funny as a hangover.

Cocktail is a bottle of rotgut in a Dom Perignon box.

The pairing of old-hand Brown and young-hand Cruise may have been meant to remind us of Cruise and Paul Newman; if so, think of this as The Color of Counterfeit Money.

Perhaps the best one can say for this bland concoction mixed by agents and the studio executives is that every bartender in Hollywood wants to be Tom Cruise and that suffices as an ironic subtext.

It may not be a megaton bomb, but Cocktail is definitely of the Molotov type.

Additional Info

• Genre : Drama, Comedy
• Release Date : July 29, 1988
• Languages : English, Spanish
• Captions : English, Spanish
• Audio Format : 5.1

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"Cocktail" tells the story of two bartenders and their adventures in six bars and several bedrooms. What is remarkable, given the subject, is how little the movie knows about bars or drinking.

Early in the film, there's a scene where the two bartenders stage an elaborately choreographed act behind the bar. They juggle bottles in unison, one spins ice cubes into the air and the other one catches them, and then they flip bottles at each other like a couple of circus jugglers. All of this is done to rock 'n' roll music, and it takes them about four minutes to make two drinks. They get a roaring ovation from the customers in their crowded bar, which is a tip-off to the movie's glossy phoniness. This isn't bartending, it's a music video, and real drinkers wouldn't applaud, they'd shout: "Shut up and pour!" The bartenders in the film are played by Tom Cruise , as a young ex-serviceman who dreams of becoming a millionaire, and Bryan Brown , as a hard-bitten veteran who has lots of cynical advice. Brown advises Cruise to keep his eyes open for a "rich chick," because that's his ticket to someday opening his own bar. Cruise is ready for this advice.

He studies self-help books and believes that he'll be rich someday, if only he gets that big break. The movie is supposed to be about how he outgrows his materialism, although the closing scenes leave room for enormous doubts about his redemption.

The first part of the movie works the best. That's when Cruise drops out of school, becomes a full-time bartender, makes Brown his best friend and learns to juggle those bottles. In the real world, Cruise and Brown would be fired for their time-wasting grandstanding behind the bar, but in this movie they get hired to work in a fancy disco where they have a fight over a girl and Cruise heads for Jamaica.

There, as elsewhere, his twinkling eyes and friendly smile seem irresistible to the women on the other side of the bar, and he lives in a world of one-night stands. That's made possible by the fact that no one in this movie has ever heard of AIDS, not even the rich female fashion executive ( Lisa Banes ) who picks Cruise up and takes him back to Manhattan with her.

What do you think? Do you believe a millionaire Manhattan woman executive in her 30s would sleep with a wildly promiscuous bartender she picks up on the beach? Not unless she was seriously drunk. And that's another area this movie knows little about: the actual effects of drinking. Sure, Cruise gets tanked a couple of times and staggers around a little and throws a few punches. But given the premise that he and Brown drink all of the time, shouldn't they be drunk, or hung over, at least most of the time? Not in this fantasy world.

If the film had stuck to the relationship between Cruise and Brown, it might have had a chance. It makes a crucial error when it introduces a love story, involving Cruise and Elisabeth Shue , as a vacationing waitress from New York. They find true love, which is shattered when Shue sees Cruise with the rich Manhattan executive.

After the executive takes Cruise back to New York and tries to turn him into a pampered stud, he realizes his mistake and apologizes to Shue, only to discover, of course, that she is pregnant - and rich.

The last stages of the movie were written, directed and acted on automatic pilot, as Shue's millionaire daddy tries to throw Cruise out of the penthouse but love triumphs. There is not a moment in the movie's last half-hour that is not borrowed from other movies, and eventually even the talented and graceful Cruise can be seen laboring with the ungainly reversals in the script. Shue, who does whatever is possible with her role, is handicaped because her character is denied the freedom to make natural choices; at every moment, her actions are dictated by the artificial demands of the plot.

It's a shame the filmmakers didn't take a longer, harder look at this material. The movie's most interesting character is the older bartender, superbly played by Brown, who never has a false moment. If the film had been told from his point of view, it would have been a lot more interesting, but box-office considerations no doubt required the center of gravity to shift to Cruise and Shue.

One of the weirdest things about "Cocktail"' is the so-called message it thinks it contains. Cruise is painted throughout the film as a cynical, success-oriented 1980s materialist who wants only to meet a rich woman and own his own bar. That's why Shue doesn't tell him at first that she's rich. Toward the end of the movie, there's a scene where he allegedly chooses love over money, but then, a few months later, he is the owner and operator of his own slick Manhattan singles bar.

How did he finance it? There's a throwaway line about how he got some money from his uncle, a subsistence-level bartender who can't even afford a late-model car. Sure. It costs a fortune to open a slick singles bar in Manhattan, and so we are left with the assumption that Cruise's rich father-in-law came through with the financing. If the movie didn't want to leave that impression, it shouldn't have ended with the scene in the bar. But then this is the kind of movie that uses Cruise's materialism as a target all through the story and then rewards him for it at the end. The more you think about what really happens in "Cocktail," the more you realize how empty and fabricated it really is.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Film credits.

Cocktail (1988)

100 minutes

Laurence Luckinbill as Mr. Mooney

Tom Cruise as Brian Flanagan

Lisa Banes as Bonnie

Elisabeth Shue as Jordan Mooney

Bryan Brown as Doug Coughlin

Directed by

• Roger Donaldson

Produced by

• Robert W. Cort

Screenplay by

• Heywood Gould

Photographed by

• Dean Semler
• Neil Travis
• J. Peter Robinson

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• Cast & crew
• User reviews

• A talented New York City bartender takes a job at a bar in Jamaica and falls in love.
• Bent on becoming a successful millionaire, ambitious ex-military man Brian serves drinks at a New York City tavern and studies for his degree while waiting for his big break. Then, veteran bartender and cynical mentor Doug enters the picture, convinced that their chemistry and flamboyant tricks behind the bar will soon make the dynamic bartending duo famous and rich. But all good things must come to an end. As Brian tries to raise money in Jamaica to open his dream bar, a chance encounter with beautiful young waitress Jordan leads to a whirlwind romance and heartbreak. After all, love is a delicate thing. Is Brian sure he wants a future with Jordan? — Nick Riganas
• After leaving the Army, Brian Flanagan tries to get a marketing job in New York City. But without a college degree, this is not possible. He then decides to start studying for a business degree at the local City College and gets a part time job as a bartender. He realizes that it's not easy but his new boss Douglas Coughlin teaches him the secrets of the bar trade and they become the most famous bartenders in town. Both Brian and Doug want their own top class cocktail bars someday and Brian's Cocktail Bar is to be called 'Cocktails and Dreams'. In order to get the necessary money to open it, Brian travels to Jamaica to work as a bartender at a resort Tiki Bar, and the pay is good. There he meets Jordan Mooney, a young and pretty, up and coming American artist on vacation with her girlfriend from New York City, staying at the Island resort. Jordan and Brian spend some quality time together and fall in love. But Brian takes a dare from his old buddy, Doug Coughlin to sleep with an older, wealthy woman, who is also staying at the resort. Jordan, herself the daughter of wealthy parents back in New York City, leaves the Island overnight, after seeing Brian and the older woman together after closing - Will Jordan ever forgive Brian and will they get back together? — Joshua Jaworsky <[email protected]>
• The 1988 blockbuster classic, Cocktail. After some swift study, it appears nineteen-hundred and eighty-eight transpired as a monumental twelve-month period destined to be revered in the annals of movie creation history. Flawless gems such as: Big starring Tom Hanks who played the role of a kid who hates the success every adult wants, chooses to be a kid again - only to lose his edge and become a janitor later on; Rain Man starring Dustin Hoffman, already known for his adeptness at female role-play, took on the challenging task of a relatable, semi-cognitively-challenged millionaire; finally, let us not forget Eddie Murphy's masterful role in the flick, Coming to America, where he assumes the persona of an African prince who sets out on a quest to find a plebeian Yank to be his queen and eventually, indubitably withhold coitus-rights only after depleting the monarch's coffers. Other notable flicks released in this segment of time include Beetlejuice, Mystic Pizza, Willow, Child's Play, The Naked Gun, Bloodsport, Akira, The Land Before Time, Rambo III, and Hairspray! Originally, I was reluctant to review the movie in question and a quick analysis of the IMDb profile only furthered my suspicions. Overall viewer rating, at the time of this writing, was sitting at a homely five point seven stars out of a total of ten. The metascore was even more deficient with a measly tally of twelve out of one hundred. Not to be careless, I made sure to pore over several reviews before becoming a viewer myself. One of my favorites I shall transcribe hereafter: " Cocktail makes beer commercials look deep, makes "Top Gun" look like "Hamlet." -written by Jay Carr of the Boston Globe [29 Jul 1988, p.21] Yes, friend, perhaps it is a rag. The copy writer for the Cocktail cover art would also seem to agree, as he decided to include the profound quote, "Totally Entertaining!" Let us get started then. The movie begins with a young, starry-eyed soldier named Brian Flanagan, played by everyone's favorite thetan (Tom Cruise), who has incredible ambitions of making millions, by means of mercantilism, in the Big Apple. It must be pointed out that for a film with a premise of alcohol consumption, naturally the main character would have Irish roots. After several rounds of unsurprising rejections, Brian finds himself at a crossroads; either get a job as a bartender or move back in with the parents. Naturally, Flanagan is unwilling to give-up on his dream of becoming an opulent entrepreneur, enrolls in the local business college while earning shelter and sustenance by working part-time as a rookie cockologist. Enter fellow spirit connoisseur and bullshitter, Doug Coughlin (represented by Bryan Brown), who takes the protagonist under his wing. Flanagan is taught all the tricks of the mixing trade: flips, twirls, under-hands, over-hands, in-betweens, short-pours, and long-pours; all designed to loosen men from their wallets and women from their chastities. It is not long before these two find themselves at the pinnacle of the bartending game in all of New York City, if not presumably the world. Doug and Brian are in Flanagan's apartment discussing how to get rich. They decide to become business partners and open a chain of "local-style" bars. The name for this franchise: "Cocktails & Dreams." Deliciously corny. It is around this time that I find my father fast asleep. Traditionally, he is more accustomed to a finely-tuned entertainment genre that typically focuses on exploding cars, unlimited ammunition firefights, Eastern Bloc nemeses and screaming damsels. 1988 happens to also be the year action flicks reached their golden age with the release of Die Hard starring Bruce Willis. My dad has a certain attachment to action heroes that have a predisposition to male pattern baldness, being one who is also afflicted. He loves and owns xXx starring the glabrous Vin Diesel, of which I can assure anyone reading this that it has little to do with the Eastern European sluts or Pontiac GTO cameos. Also, he has probably seen every Jason Statham movie ever made (42 at the time of this writing). Anyways, one fruitful night, Brian ends up getting seduced by a local playgirl, Coral (Gina Gershon), thus beginning a courtship based on nothing but heathenish desires. Apparently, the writer, Heywood Gould, expects the audience to believe that a gorgeous heiress is interested in a five-foot-seven-inch, hero bartender for nothing but fornication. I suppose that is all she really needs at this point, I mean, what is he going to do; buy her another purse? Doug bets Flanagan that his relationship with Coral is based on nothing and she will end up screwing with his head like a cold-hearted, aloof bitch. To win this bet, it is not long before the meister of mixology, Doug Coughlin, engages in an affair with Coral; Brian finds out. Doug claims it was for Flanagan's own good but naturally he gets walloped in the kisser, regardless. Hurt and betrayed, Brian plans to pursue his monetary ambitions in another part of the world. Feeling empowered by his business strategy of creating chain, dive bars in every mall and airport in the country, he sets off for Jamaica to earn himself roughly seventy-thousand fiat United States dollars, the sum needed for his very first one. Presumably months (years?) later, the viewer finds Brian slaving away at some seaside speakeasy serving patrons of the local hotel. It is business as usual until the very voluptuous and fetching Jordan Mooney, depicted by Elisabeth Shue, arrives barside to steal his attention. I am assuming at this point Brian was still very butthurt over the whole Coral thing and had yet to bed a nice Jamaican girl. Of course, on an island of chocolate pudding the female love interest would have to be of Celtic origins. I digress; cue montage of Brian and Jordan participating in cliché date activities like riding horseback, enjoying the local fauna, hanging out in town where stereotypical, dreadlocks dude is dancing in the street. After a mandatory conversation to see if Brian is ambitious enough for Jordan's tastes, over cocktails, the two find themselves raptured in each other's embrace. We are talking about 1988, R-rated skinny-dipping, where side-boob makes an appearance (played by Elisabeth Shue's left breast). Things start to get weird when Jordan brings up the topic of our bartender siring her offspring. Brian does not seem to mind too much; at least he knows he is doing something right and he might really like this one, this time. Sigh, if only she was rich. It is not long before Mister Flanagan finds his way to trouble, however. The loathsome shyster, and long-time amigo, Doug Coughlin makes his grand return; systematically. Coughlin is rich now; sucking from the affluent teat of his new wife, both literally and figuratively, and he has come to gloat to Brian. How can this be; how can that rat bastard have a gorgeous, young, millionairess wife? Thus far, Flanagan has been very preoccupied with wealth and status. Knowing this, Doug presents a dare, a bet, claiming that Brian is without the social graces & silver tongue to woo a rich, soon-to-be cougar by the name of Bonnie (Lisa Banes). Young and rash, Brian takes Doug up on the bet and sure shows him. Next thing I know, Bonnie is having the time of her life and is requesting more! Unfortunately, Jordan saw both Brian and Bonnie walking away together; clearly sloshed and primed for acts of intercourse. Mooney is a sweet girl and feels taken advantage of by Flanagan who clearly must be some sort of philanderer. The next day, Brian feeling disgusted with himself, sets off to find Jordan only to hear from her friend that she had already taken the red-eye back to New York City. Disappointment is only temporary as he decides to benefit from Bonnie's station in life. This could be his ticket to a high-salaried marketing career and besides, its not like she is post-menopausal, yet. New York, New York, here we are again. Brian assumes the position of Bonnie's apartment-bound gigolo; forever lured by the promise of a sales position at her company. One evening, Bonnie takes her pet to a local art gallery where her aspiring sculptor acquaintance is showing off his latest work. Flannagan is rather flustered at this point. First she will not follow through on the job, then she does not even bother to introduce him to her friends and makes him hold all her refuse. He is determined to vacate and implores that she comply. Bonnie is having a grand time talking to the artist and does not want to exit. Brian and the sculptor get into, first, an argument and then a pugilist bout. During said fisticuffs, Brian kicks the artist into a sculpture, knocking both the creator and creation to the ground. Overcome with grief, the artist loses all drive to fight as this particular statue was meant for posterity. My dad wakes up, possibly drawn to consciousness by the sounds of brawling craftsman; one of boulder, alloy and the other of ethanol, glass & garnish. With Bonnie and Brian's "relationship" finally brought to a close, Flanagan sets out to find Jordan and apologize. He finds her working at her diner job where she promptly gives him both of the day's specials; one on his head and another on his lap. Later on, Flanagan finagles his way into Jordan's apartment where he sees her impressive paintings. She reveals to him that she is pregnant, however, Mooney makes it clear she will have nothing to do with him, despite Brian's persistence. A few days later, Brian goes to confront Jordan but finds she is not at her apartment, but rather, her parents' Park Avenue flat. She is a princess after all! Naturally, Jordan's father does not like Flanagan or the situation. He attempts to pay him off but Brian refuses the ten thousand, which is an amount he could desperately use to get his bar started. Brian leaves to go grovel for a job promised to him by his old pal, Doug Coughlin. Brian sneaks in past the security of Doug's wife's club. The two cockologists reunite and decide to have a drink someplace private. Doug confides in Brian that he lost most of his wife's money by poorly investing in commodities. Having too much to drink, Coughlin falls asleep (or at least pretends to) as his wife asks to go home. Being a good friend, Brian takes her home and almost bangs her out. He leaves, resisting the horizontal-hokey-pokey and arrives where he left Doug, only to see that he has committed suicide with a very expensive, broken bottle of brandy (or something). After the funeral, Brian reads a letter left for him from Coughlin. Doug says he committed suicide because he was just a bullshitter. Brian does not want to be a piece of fecal matter anymore and discontinues emulating the deceased Doug. Flannagan goes back to Jordan's parents' Park Avenue apartment and eventually fights off both the doorman and butler. Jordan's father and Brian exchange some nasty words. After a confession of love, Jordan leaves with Brian and the father cuts them off from his vault of gold bars, jewel encrusted rings, old paintings, et cetera. After getting some seed money from his father, Brian finally opens his first bar and names it, "Flanagan's Cocktails & Dreams." Brian and Jordan have their wedding reception there; she reveals she is pregnant with twins; Flanagan gives everyone free drinks to celebrate; they probably get divorced in five to ten years; Jordan takes ownership of fifty percent of the dive bars in subsequent annulment proceedings. In conclusion, Cocktail is an iteration of an age old scenario; a coming of age story and a tale of overcoming greed and using one's pride the honorable way. Additionally, it is possible to not appreciate the good things, when you have them, and easy to not know they were good until they are gone. Real wealth is not what you have but whom you share it with. In the movie, Brian Flanagan gets a second chance but it is a lesson to all viewers that the same opportunity rarely comes around twice. When he pours, he reigns.

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Mixing It Up: Exploring the Iconic Cocktails from the Movie “Cocktail”

• developer on September 19, 2023

“Cocktail,” the 1988 romantic drama film directed by Roger Donaldson, is not just a classic of its time; it’s a celebration of mixology and the art of crafting the perfect cocktail. Starring Tom Cruise as the charming bartender Brian Flanagan, the film takes us on a journey through the world of bartending, love, and friendship. Along the way, it introduces us to several iconic cocktails that have since become staples in the world of mixology. In this article, we’ll delve into the delicious details of these cocktails, their history, and how you can recreate them at home.

The Red Eye

Our journey through the world of “Cocktail” begins with the Red Ey e, a simple yet refreshing cocktail. In the movie, Brian Flanagan (Tom Cruise) impresses his mentor Doug Coughlin (Bryan Brown) by making this drink for the first time.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. vodka
• 1 oz. tomato juice
• 1 dash of hot sauce
• 1 dash of Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Fill a shaker with ice.
• Add vodka, tomato juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper.
• Shake well.
• Strain into a chilled glass filled with ice.
• Garnish with a lemon wedge and celery stick.

The Red Eye is a classic cocktail, often referred to as a “Bloody Mary Lite.” It’s perfect for those who enjoy the tangy flavors of tomato juice and a hint of spice.

The Woo Woo

Next up is the Woo Woo , a sweet and fruity cocktail that makes an appearance in the film during a beach party scene.

• 1/2 oz. peach schnapps
• 3 oz. cranberry juice
• Add vodka, peach schnapps, and cranberry juice.
• Strain into a chilled glass.
• Garnish with a lime wedge or a cherry.

The Woo Woo is a delightful and easy-to-make cocktail, making it a favorite at parties and gatherings.

The Jamaican Bobsled

The Jamaican Bobsled is another fun and tropical cocktail featured in the movie. It’s a colorful and flavorful drink that reflects the movie’s beachy vibes.

• 1 1/2 oz. white rum
• 1/2 oz. coconut cream
• 1/2 oz. blue curaçao
• 2 oz. pineapple juice
• Crushed ice
• Fill a blender with crushed ice.
• Add white rum, coconut cream, blue curaçao, and pineapple juice.
• Blend until smooth.
• Pour into a chilled glass.
• Garnish with a pineapple slice and a cherry.

The Jamaican Bobsled is a tropical paradise in a glass. Its vibrant blue color and refreshing flavors make it a hit at beach-themed parties.

• The Last Barman Poet

Named after Brian Flanagan’s poetic ambitions in the movie, The Last Barman Poet is a cocktail that represents the artistry and creativity of bartending.

• 1 1/2 oz. light rum
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 oz. simple syrup
• 1/2 oz. pineapple juice
• Lime twist for garnish
• Add light rum, blue curaçao, lime juice, simple syrup, and pineapple juice.
• Shake vigorously.
• Strain into a chilled martini glass.
• Garnish with a lime twist.

The Last Barman Poet is a cocktail that pays homage to the creativity and passion of bartenders. Its bright blue color and balanced flavors make it a true work of art.

The Flaming Dr. Pepper

In one of the film’s most memorable scenes, Brian Flanagan and Doug Coughlin introduce the audience to the Flaming Dr. Pepper , a daring and fiery cocktail that involves lighting the drink on fire before consuming it.

• 3/4 oz. amaretto liqueur
• 1/4 oz. high-proof rum (overproof)
• 1/2 glass of beer (lager)
• Pour the amaretto into a shot glass.
• Float the high-proof rum on top of the amaretto.
• Fill a beer glass halfway with beer.
• Carefully ignite the amaretto and rum in the shot glass.
• Drop the flaming shot glass into the beer glass.
• Blow out the flame, and drink the cocktail quickly through a straw.

The Flaming Dr. Pepper is not for the faint of heart, but it’s undoubtedly a showstopper at any gathering.

But here is more. Here is a list of cocktails that are either made, mentioned, or play a role in various scenes throughout the film:

• Bloody Mary
• Brandy Alexander
• The Righteous Bison
• Black Russian
• Jamaican Bobsled
• The Frozen Banana Daiquiri
• Planters Punch
• Irish Coffee
• Old-Fashioned
• Vodka Martini
• Amaretto Sour
• Screwdriver
• Tom Collins
• Dry Martini
• Flaming Dr. Pepper

The movie “Cocktail” may be a love story, but it’s also a love letter to the art of mixology and the delightful world of cocktails. Each of the cocktails featured in the film has its unique charm and flavor profile, making them a hit with fans and cocktail enthusiasts alike. Whether you’re sipping on a Red Eye, enjoying the tropical vibes of the Jamaican Bobsled, or daring to try the Flaming Dr. Pepper, these cocktails are a testament to the creativity and craftsmanship that go into the world of mixology. So, the next time you watch “Cocktail,” consider shaking up one of these iconic drinks to enhance your viewing experience.

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• Chicago Tribune Dave Kehr Cocktail is a meandering, shapeless film, without the force of character to resist any of the cliches that come its way.
• Chicago Tribune Gene Siskel Cruise is beguiling with his smile and his swagger, but the script doesn't take us anywhere fresh when it leaves the barroom.
• Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey It may not be a megaton bomb, but Cocktail is definitely of the Molotov type.
• Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert The more you think about what really happens in Cocktail, the more you realize how empty and fabricated it really is.
• People Magazine Peter Travers As if realizing that his star hasn't smiled for 15 minutes, Donaldson tacks on a goody-goody ending that would shame the Care Bears. How to sum up what went wrong? Cruise has a line in the movie: "Flat beer from rusty pipes."
• TIME Magazine Richard Corliss Cocktail is a bottle of rotgut in a Dom Perignon box.
• Los Angeles Times Sheila Benson The pairing of old-hand Brown and young-hand Cruise may have been meant to remind us of Cruise and Paul Newman; if so, think of this as The Color of Counterfeit Money.
• Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum Very, very stupid.
• Orlando Sentinel Jay Boyar This vacant, misshapen film is basically an extended beer commercial that presents the world as a ludicrous place populated by sex-and-cash-and-booze-crazed zomboids. Cruise, meanwhile, comes off as a somewhat taller Spuds MacKenzie.
• Variety Variety Staff Contains nary a surprise.
• New York Times Vincent Canby It is an inane romantic drama that only a very young, very naive bartender could love. How it got that way is difficult to understand.
• Washington Post Rita Kempley Cocktail is mud in your eye.
• Gannett News Service Jack Garner Ultimately, the ideas in this film fall as flat as stale beer and honest emotions are as watered down as cheap whiskey. This Cocktail is definitely on the rocks.
• United Press International Cathy Burke Cocktail is so steeped in corn, the drama seems comedic and the comedy is about as funny as a hangover.
• TV Guide TV Guide Staff With no fewer than 17 of Donaldson's favorite rock songs and a complete lack of dramatic impetus, Cocktail would fare better as an extended-play music video.
• Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt If some other drug were treated this way in a movie, lots of outraged people -- including parents and politicians -- would be up in arms. But it's only alcohol, the reasoning seems to go, so it's all harmless fun.
• Movie Metropolis James Plath It's the bartending antics and musical backdrops that make the film entertaining. Without them, "Cocktail" is just another beer gone flat.
• Philadelphia Daily News Ben Yagoda The philosopher Hannah Arendt once wrote a book about the banality of evil. After seeing Cocktail, I want to write one about the evil of banality.
• South Florida Sun-Sentinel Roger Hurlburt Cruise's name on the marquee is plenty to insure the success of the film, even if it is lopsided, shallow, and slips the audience a Mickey Finn at the outset.

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Cocktail 1988

Released: 1988

Director: Roger Donaldson

Cast: Tom Cruise , Bryan Brown, Elisabeth Shue , Lisa Banes

After being discharged from the Army, Brian Flanagan moves back to Queens and takes a job in a bar run by Doug Coughlin, who teaches Brian the fine art of bar-tending. Brian quickly becomes a patron favorite with his flashy drink-mixing style, and Brian adopts his mentor's cynical philosophy on life and goes for the money.

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Information about streaming services showing Cocktail

Our data shows that the Cocktail is available to stream on Disney+. We also checked other leading streaming services including Prime Video, Apple TV+, Binge, Google Play, Foxtel Now and Netflix, Stan. Cocktail is not available on any of them at this time.

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36-year-old tom cruise movie with 9% on rotten tomatoes has the perfect remake cast after $216m hit.

One critically-panned box office hit from Tom Cruise is ripe for a remake, and the perfect cast can be found in the leads of 2023's rom-com success.

• Casting the leads from 2024's successful rom-com, Anyone but You, could elevate a remake of Tom Cruise's 1988 Cocktail movie.
• The success of 2024's Road House remake suggests modern remakes of divisive '80s classics can work today.
• Glen Powell's Top Gun role proves he could successfully replace Tom Cruise in a potential Cocktail remake.

With Road House (2024) paving the way for more modern remakes of cult classic ‘80s thrillers, the potential for Tom Cruise’s 1988 movie Cocktail to be remade could work better by casting the leads from 2023’s big rom-com success. The 1980s was an incredible decade for entries in the so-bad-they’re-good action/thriller subgenre , with movies like Patrick Swayze’s Road House failing to impress critics but remaining beloved for their lack of self-seriousness and entertainment value. The cast of 2024’s Road House remake maintains this sentiment in the remake of the 1989 film, with its divisive success making additional remakes of movies of this vein more likely.

While not as fondly remembered as Road House , another ‘80s hit that falls into this category is Tom Cruise’s 1988 movie Cocktail . The movie follows Cruise’s Brian Flanagan, a business student working as a successful bartender, whose relationships with his coworker Doug (Bryan Brown) and romantic interest Jordan (Elisabeth Shue) lead to a series of unexpected twists and turns. Though the film holds a meager 9% score on Rotten Tomatoes, it was a smash box office smash, earning $171.5 million against an estimated budget of $20 million (via Box Office Mojo ). Following Road House ’s success, it could finally be time to give Cruse's Cocktail the modern remake treatment .

Road House Proves Jake Gyllenhaal Is Perfect For Upcoming Reboot Of 30-Year-Old Jean-Claude Van Damme Action Movie

Glen powell & sydney sweeney would be perfect for a cocktail remake after anyone but you, the two actors could fill the shoes of tom cruise and elisabeth shue.

One crucial factor contributing to the success of Doug Liman’s 2024 Road House remake was its compelling lead cast, with action star Jake Gyllenhaal taking over Patrick Swayze’s character from the original while UFC champion Conor McGregor assumed the cartoonish villain role . Similar to Road House ’s remake requiring an actor with Swayze’s star power and charisma, a Cocktail remake would need an actor with comparable allure to ‘80s-era Tom Cruise for Brian Flanagan . Likewise, with Elisabeth Shue having been one of the biggest female stars of the ‘80s, a Cocktail remake would need an actress of similar popularity and appeal to step into the role of Jordan Mooney.

Anyone but You (2024) and Cocktail (1988) are available to rent or purchase from digital retailers like Amazon Prime Video and YouTube.

If Cocktail does get a remake, these casting requirements can easily be found in the leads of the 2023 hit movie Anyone but You . Though also divisive among critics, Anyone but You was a certified box office smash as it went on to earn over $216 million against a $25 million budget. In addition to a witty script and fun premise, much of Anyone but You ’s success can be attributed to the casting and chemistry of Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney as the two romantic leads. In 2024, Powell and Sweeney aren’t too off from the cards that Cruise and Shue brought to the table back in 1988 for Cocktail .

Much of Anyone but You ’s success can be attributed to the casting and chemistry of Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney as the two romantic leads.

Powell already had rom-com experience with films like Set It Up ahead of Anyone but You , but made a bigger name for his action roles in movies such as Top Gun: Maverick , Devotion , Hit Man , and, now, the upcoming Twisters sequel movie . Meanwhile, Sweeney has proven widely popular with audiences after her roles in Euphoria , The White Lotus , and Immaculate , and both actors prove increasingly bankable with each new release. With the original Cocktail movie’s negative critical and audience response making it ripe for improvement , Powell and Sweeney could provide the star power a remake would need to successfully adapt the same-named 1984 novel.

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Remaking cocktail sounds better than anyone but you 2 for powell & sweeney, anyone but you doesn't need a direct sequel.

Following the success Anyone but You , Sweeney and Powell announced they were reading scripts and searching for their next collaboration together. While some have thrown around the idea of returning to Bea and Ben’s story with a potential Anyone but You 2 movie , the original movie being based on Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing makes a sequel unnecessary. Rather, it seems more likely that Powell and Sweeney’s “sequel” will be a completely different film that pairs them as romantic leads.

It seems more likely that Powell and Sweeney’s “sequel” will be a completely different film that pairs them as romantic leads.

This was a common tactic for 1990s romantic comedies, which would see romantic leads like Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan or Julia Roberts and Richard Gere reunite in another rom-com instead of making a direct sequel to their past success. Consequently, with Sweeney and Powell searching for their next film collaboration, a remake of Cocktail could provide a fitting follow-up to Anyone but You . With Powell playing Brian and Sweeney playing Jordan, the duo would just need to find a new Doug to enhance their existing chemistry, potentially creating the perfect recipe to improve upon Cruise’s original movie.

Road House 2024's Success Proves Remakes Of Divisive '80s Thrillers Can Work Today

The bar is set lower, but it needs to maintain '80s movie's tone.

Remakes of 1980s hits don’t always work out, with some proving to be unnecessary if the original was already a hit and a product of its time. However, there are some notable exceptions, with Amazon’s 2024 Road House movie being one of them. The Road House remake’s Rotten Tomatoes score is already better than the 1989 original (59% compared to 43%), and smashed records for Prime Video’s movie premiere viewership numbers to prove its popularity among audiences. Though many fans of the original may reasonably remain more loyal to Swayze’s 1989 iteration, it’s difficult to deny the entertainment value and success of the remake.

Considering Cocktail has a much less beloved reputation than 1989’s Road House , remaking the Tom Cruise film isn’t apt to come with as much apprehension or high expectations. With an already divisive original movie, there isn’t as big of a risk of “ ruining ” the original, as the bar is relatively lower when aiming to improve upon certain aspects of the first film that didn’t initially land with critics and audiences. Of course, with cult classics, it helps if the remake maintains the tone of the original, such as 2024’s Road House protecting the campiness and lack of self-seriousness of the 1989 film.

Top Gun: Maverick Highlights How Glen Powell Could Replace Tom Cruise's Brian In Cocktail

Powell and cruise's characters share similar qualities in top gun.

A potential Cocktail remake wouldn’t be the first time that Glen Powell has stepped into an ‘80s-based Tom Cruise property. Powell starred in Cruise’s 2022 hit Top Gun: Maverick as Hangman , who served a role similar to Val Kilmer’s Iceman from the 1986 original movie. Consequently, it’s already clear that Powell has qualities similar to Cruise in that era, which would make him taking over a character that Cruise originated easier to grasp.

The greatest way to make [a Cocktail remake] more enticing would be to get Tom Cruise to return as well.

Similar to Hangman or Maverick, a character like Brian Flanagan has an air of cockiness and confidence that contrasts with his need to prove himself. Powell’s past movies have demonstrated that he could take on this type of character successfully, having to balance the cockiness and heroism of his Top Gun character with the earnestness and rom-com lead chops of his Anyone but You role. While Powell and Sweeney potentially starring in a Cocktail remake would already give it a leg up, the greatest way to make it more enticing would be to get Tom Cruise to return as well.

Source: Box Office Mojo

Anyone But You

Anyone But You is a romantic comedy by director Will Gluck starring Sydney Sweeny and Glen Powell. Sweeny and Powell star as Bea and Ben, two strangers with an incredible first date that goes sour following one incident at the tail end. Thinking the worst is behind them, the two are roped into a destination wedding in Sydney, Australia, where they'll have to pretend to be a couple despite absolutely hating each other.