5 Elite Daily Editors Tried The Groolest Mean Girls Cocktails

Let the Mean Girls renaissance begin. With the musical movie hitting theaters on Friday, Jan. 12, the OG film is having yet another ~moment~, 20 years after its release. Not only have cast reunions been at an all-time high (including at the 2024 film premiere!), but the fashion, makeup, and even food inspo is back on the rise — particularly in the drink space.

On #CoffeeTok, the Mean Girls Frappuccino from Starbucks’ secret menu is back in rotation (though, fair warning, you may need to swap out a few ingredients that are no longer available at the chain).

If coffee is not your beverage of choice (boo, you whore) and you prefer something with a little more kick, there’s also a selection of Mean Girls-themed cocktails you could try, because happy hour doesn’t have to only be from 4-6.

Below, five Elite Daily Editors recreated and taste-tested a handful of drinks inspired by Mean Girls that are vintage, so adorable, to get you in the Plastics spirit.

Fetch Me A Cranberry Cosmo

Taste-tested by: Kaitlin Cubria, Deputy Experiences & Style Editor

(Don’t @ me for my lack of martini glass.)

Ingredients:

• 3 ounces of Grey Goose La Vanille Flavored Vodka
• 1 ounce of Cointreau orange-flavored triple sec liqueur
• 3 ounces of Ocean Spray cranberry juice cocktail
• 3 teaspoons of fresh-squeezed lime juice
• Orange twist, for garnish

First impressions: In honor of Mean Girls Day 2023, spirit shop Dix Liquors posted a collection of cocktail recipes inspired by the film on TikTok. This one stood out to me the most mainly because of its dual nods to the production: The first being the obvious mention of Gretchen’s “(so) fetch” quote; the second being the less obvious cranberry juice. Remember, ahead of homecoming, Regina said she was on the South Beach Fat Flush (“all you drink is cranberry juice for 72 hours”).

I tried a Cosmo back in college, when I watched all six seasons of Sex and the City for the first time, and it was not for me; from what I can recall, I thought it was too sweet or heavy on the orange (though, it could’ve just been an issue with the cheap vodka). But now that my fellow 1989er Taylor Swift is a Cosmo girlie, I figured it was a good time to try it again.

Overall thoughts: Not sure if it’s the fact that my palette matured, my tastes have changed, or that I could now afford Grey Goose, but this was pretty delicious; it was tangy, with just the right amount of citrus.

I wouldn’t order it over and over again like I would a French martini, because there’s only so much orange flavor I could take. I also think that my chosen vanilla-flavored vodka made it more sweet and palatable than a straight-up dose of vodka.

Rating: 4 for you, Glen Coco out of 5. It’s a fairly simple drink that any bartender already knows how to make, so it’s not exactly innovative — but if your limit for Cosmos (or anything TayTay likes) does not exist, this is a good way to go.

Mrs. George’s Hump Day Treat

Taste-tested by: Dylan Kickham, Associate Entertainment Editor

Ingredients:

• ½ a shot (1½ tablespoons) of orange triple sec
• 1 shot (3 tablespoons) of Absolut Raspberri vodka
• 2 shots (6 tablespoons) of Ocean Spray Cran-Raspberry juice
• 2 shots (6 tablespoons) of ginger ale

First impressions: This isn’t just a regular cocktail; it’s a cool cocktail. I got the general idea for how to recreate Mrs. George’s questionable post-school sip from a TikTok by the brand Lixir Drinks. The clip didn’t include exact measurements, but I don’t think Mrs. George would worry too much about exact numbers anyway, so I just went with what looked to be about right. I also decided to add ginger ale to the mix.

Mean Girls never mentioned how Regina’s mom made her signature drink, and TBH, I was assuming they’d be more like margaritas. But this cocktail looked so pink and fruity that it was too fetch to ignore.

Overall thoughts: As you’d expect, this is a very fruity drink with a strong raspberry flavor. The hint of orange works really well with it, and the ginger ale is essential to brighten things up with some fizz. I could also see this being a great mocktail (since Mrs. George’s version famously doesn’t have alcohol in it). Just remove the vodka and replace the triple sec with some orange zest.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5. It’s a super simple drink, but with a ton of flavor. The perfect way for any cool mom to unwind and get the 411 from her daughter.

You Go Glen Cocoa

Taste-tested by: Rachel Chapman, Staff Writer

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ ounces of candy cane-infused vodka
• ¼ ounce of Disaronno amaretto (instead of Amaro Averna)
• ½ ounce of creme de cocoa
• 4 dashes of chocolate bitters
• 2 ounces of cold brew
• ½ ounce of vanilla sweet cream
• Crushed candy cane, for garnish

First impressions: I saw this recipe on Delish, which is basically a boozy peppermint mocha. It’s inspired by the scene where Damian, dressed as Santa, handed out holiday candy grams in class, and of course, there were “four for you, Glen Coco.”

As someone who loves the holidays, is not ready to say goodbye to peppermint mochas just yet, and lives for all things coffee, I couldn’t wait to make this drink.

Overall thoughts: I was originally nervous about how this drink would come together since I couldn't find Averna or any other Amaro (Italian herbal liqueur) to use, but I think my version with the Disaronno might be better.

The You Go Glen Cocoa reminded me of the Peppermint Mocha Espresso Martini I had at the Starbucks Reserve in Seattle — aka the best espresso martini I’ve ever had. Like that drink, this cocktail was creamy, cool, and the right amount of sweetness. I could taste the peppermint coffee, but also the alcohol, making it the perfect blend, IMO.

Rating: 5 out of 5. If you’re a fan of espresso martinis, I highly recommend trying this coffee-based cocktail. The only thing I would do different if I were to make this again — which I will — is add the whipped cream on top. I skipped that part since it was just a garnish (and to be completely honest, I forgot it on my shopping list), but I think adding the whipped cream, sprinkles, and candy cane would make this not just a tasty drink, but a picture-perfect one.

You Can’t Sip With Us

Taste-tested by: Sarah Ellis, Senior Entertainment & Dating Editor

Ingredients:

• 4-5 small ice cubes
• ½ cup chilled rosé wine
• 1 shot of St. Germain
• Splash of sparkling water
• Grapefruit slice (lemon is also an option)

First impressions: This drink comes from The Burn Cookbook: An Unofficial Unauthorized Cookbook for Mean Girls Fans, a 2018 collab between Jonathan Bennett (the OG Aaron Samuels) and chef Nikki Martin. With a stamp of approval from Regina George’s boyfriend, I knew it had to be grool.

The name is a nod to Regina as well — the scene where Karen and Gretchen told her “you can’t sit with us” because she was wearing sweatpants on a Monday. So, in the queen’s honor, I wore sweatpants while doing my taste-test.

Overall thoughts: I wasn’t sure how to measure out one ounce of St. Germain like the original recipe suggests, so I started with half a shot, and ended up adding one more half-shot to get the flavor balance right. The final result tastes like the perfect summer spritz: light, fresh, and fruity. The grapefruit slice is really what elevates it to a restaurant-worthy cocktail, IMO.

Rating: 5 out of 5. I’d order this at a bar! If you like chilled wine and spritzes, you’ll be a fan, and it’s super easy to make at home for a watch party with friends.

On Wednesdays We Drink Pink

Taste-tested by: Lara Walsh, Associate Experiences Editor

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ ounces of Milagro Reposado Select Barrel Reserve
• ½ ounce of Kronan Swedish Punsch (can swap out for Cachaça)
• 4 dashes of Aphrodite Bitters (can swap out for Angostura Cocoa Bitters)
• ¼ ounce of Manzanilla sherry
• 1 barspoon of Greek yogurt
• 3 black cherries, with juice muddled (I substituted red cherries that were available)
• 2 picked black cherries with stem, for garnish

First impressions: Inspired by the Plastics’ outfit color of choice on Wednesdays, this cocktail recipe from Delish initially made me excited to whip up a hot pink drink that’s, like, really pretty.

After looking at the recipe a little closer, however, I got a little worried. I didn’t recognize the majority of the cocktail ingredients (what even is Aphrodite Bitters or Kronan Swedish Punsch?), and there were a *lot* of them, specifically four different types of booze.

However, since I’m all about trying a new cocktail — especially when there’s tequila involved — I put on a pink hoodie and got to work whipping up the drink in a new shaker I got over the holidays.

Overall thoughts: Finding the ingredients was the hardest part of making this Mean Girls cocktail recipe. I went to two different Binny’s stores with no luck, then just ended up getting an Instacart from a Binny’s store that was further away that had the Milagro Reposado Select Barrel Reserve. It turns out the Scottish Aphrodite Bitters and the Kronan Swedish Punsch are only available to order online, so I did a Google search and ended up swapping in a Cachaça (a Brazilian distilled spirit made from fermented sugarcane) and Angostura Cocoa Bitters.

In hindsight, substituting these very distinct liquors might have impacted the flavor, because when I made On Wednesdays We Drink Pink, the cocktail was almost too boozy for me to drink and the smell of alcohol was pretty strong.

I also wished the cherry flavor was stronger, and think using something like Luxardo Maraschino Cherries might have added some sweetness while also making the color of the drink a little pinker. (As it was, the fresh cherries immediately sank to the bottom of the drink and the cocktail’s color was a muted pastel pink that probably wouldn’t get the Plastics’ stamp of approval.)

Rating: 2 out of 5. This drink sounded interesting in concept, but it took so much time, effort, and $$ to make it come together, thanks to how rare the ingredients are and how much booze there was in the drink.

I don’t know if adding the caramel rum in the Kronan Swedish Punsch would have complemented or clashed with the oak flavors in the tequila, but I’m curious how this would have tasted with the addition of the Valentine’s Day-coded Aphrodite Bitters, which are supposed to “increase desire,” thanks to notes of the “finest chocolate, cocoa nibs, ginger root, red chili, Arabian coffee, and ginseng.”