Magnificent Bastard

Friday, January 23, 2026



The Magnificent Bastard Cocktail

In 2009 we embarked on the quest to invent the next great cocktail. With reader help, along with a lot of taste-testing, drunkenness, and a few debilitating hangovers, we found it in 2010.

the magnificent bastard

The Winner

Bryan Swanson invented The Magnificent Bastard. See the recipe and an interview with the creator. Then mix one, or three.

→ READ ON


the runners up

The Runners Up

While these cocktails didn't win, they are an important contribution to boozing MBs worldwide.

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the bracket

The Bracket

See how each entry fared in a NCAA basketball-style single-elimination tournament bracket.

→ READ ON


thomas edison

The Contest

See more about why it was high time someone invented the next great cocktail. Mad love to our inspiration, Tom Edison.

→ READ ON


POURCAST

BETA

Polar Vortex

  • 3 oz American rye whiskey
  • 3/4 ounce sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica)
  • 1/8 ounce Fernet Branca
  • 2 dashes Regans' Orange Bitters
  • 1/8 ounce yellow Chartreuse

Shake the whiskey, vermouth, Fernet Branca, and orange bitters. Swirl the yellow Chartreuse in a chilled martini glass and slowly pour in the arctic cold cocktail. Finish with an orange peel.

In-Depth Polar Vortex Coverage:

MB Pourcast: Polar Vortex Cocktails for Everyone

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Feedback? editor@magnificentbastard.com


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