Certain things pair up well – milk and cookies, biscuits and gravy, or bread and butter. We think it is safe to say rhythm and booze also make the list. With so many possibilities to pair, look at these mixes, choose your favorites, crank up the music, and let the rhythm take you away.

Here is a list of great albums in different genres to enjoy while sipping your favorite drink. So pop a top, muddle your mint, and let the right sounds provide the perfect mood.

Genre: Dance

Album: The Best of Bee Gees, Bee Gees

The Bee Gees were known for their groovy, ear-grabbing, and three-part harmonies songs. Starting in the 1960s as a psych-pop outfit became their mark on adult contemporary. The best part of those moments was when the Bee Gees, led by the Gibbs brothers, Barry, Robin, and Maurice, ruled the dance music legacy, disco.

Drink: Midori Sour

Midori Sour

This type of high-energy dance music requires something to sip on that is colorful, sparkly, zingy, and fun! If the cocktail is eye-catching, even better. The Midori Sour is just that. This cocktail’s history is emblematic of Studio 54 in the 1970s at the notorious New York nightclub. This in itself is very fitting for the bright and fun drink.

The Midori Sour’s flavor is from Japanese muskmelons, and a similar cantaloupe fruit called the yubari fruit is infused into spirits. This melon-flavored spirit is blended with brandy and sugar, then topped and stirred with food coloring to achieve its bright color. The Midori Sour recipe is more than a punchline than a classic and is mixed with fresh-squeezed lemon and lime juices and topped with soda water, bringing the drink to the 21st century.

Ingredients

  • 1-ounce Midori
  • 1-ounce vodka
  • 1/2 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • 1/2 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
  • Club soda, to top
  • Garnish: lemon wheel

Genre: Rock

Album: Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin

Remembered as the most prominent band of the 70s, Led Zeppelin captured audiences in electrifying live shows. Known for its best lyrics. Who can forget the classic lyrics of What and What Should Never Be, Thank You, and Friends that bring life lessons? Or “Mean old levee, taught me to weep and moan,” and “That big-legged women ain’t got no soul.”

Led Zeppelin will be remembered as a rock band whose classics such as Whole Lotta Love and Kashmir shook the genre to the core but revealed a sensitive side in its most beautiful ballads, including All of My Love and Thank You. Let the guitar and drum riffs carry you away on a classic rock n’ roll journey.

Drink: Fireside Old-Fashion

Fireside Old-Fashion

It could have something to do with many photos showing Jimmy Page and Keith Richards throwing back a bottle of whiskey. Still, something must be said about a connection between whiskey and a fantastic guitar riff.

The winner of the reputation as the Rock N’ Roll liquor of choice is Jack Daniels, possibly because of its manly bottle and legendary image of rock music fueled by the greatest rock songs in history.

As you sip on a glass of Jack Daniels, sit back and enjoy a few other classics from our whiskey music list:

  • Fortunate Son, Credence Clearwater Revival
  • Good Times, Bad Times, Led Zeppelin
  • Back In Black, AC/DC
  • All Along the Watchtower, Jimi Hendrix

A classic Old Fashioned with a smokey twist. Ignite the cinnamon stick to create a fragrant garnish.

Ingredients

  • 2-ounce Nelson’s Green Brier
  • .25 oz demerara syrup
  • Two dashes of aromatic bitters

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice and stir until chilled—strain into a rocks glass over one large cube or sphere. Garnish with a charred cinnamon stick.

Genre: Pop

Album: Big Willie Style, Will Smith

Everyone knows the Fresh Prince, who perfectly showcases Miami in the late 90s with his remake of the 1979 disco song, And the Beat Goes On: Lambos cruising down Ocean Drive, nightclub bouncers, and billowing curtains towering over the entrance of Delano Hotel making everyone who passes through feel like a pop star. Things may have changed in the city scene since the 90s, but you can still get a well-made Mojito, which has been associated with South Beach. The bar staff may tire from the muddling, but if you have ever experienced an afternoon day drinking at the beach bar, I am sure you will attest to the pleasures.

Drink: Mojito

Mojito

Mojitos are a Cuban favorite, made with simple ingredients like mint, lime, sugar, and rum, and they are a great way to cool down and relax in the summer heat. The Mojito is North America’s third most popular cocktail, according to cocktail order data. One of Cuba’s most famous exports may be its light rum libation. The Mojito has long been associated with the Gentleman’s drink that both James Bond and Ernest Hemingway (allegedly) drank. Many bartenders regard a Mojito as a bane because of the time it takes to make it. You’ll sip a mint julep quickly if you want to take on the muddling challenge.

Ingredients

  • 1-ounce white rum
  • 1-ounce lime juice
  • 1 Tbsp. sugar
  • Three fresh mint leaves
  • Splash of club soda
  • Two dashes of bitters, such as Angostura (optional)

Muddle the mint leaves and sugar in the bottom of a Collins glass. Fill the glass with ice cubes, add the rum and lime juice, and stir. Top with soda and bitters, if using, and stir gently.

Genre: Alternative

Album: Singles (Orginal Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Director Cameron Crowe’s Singles soundtrack is like a mixtape of the 90s to include Seattle’s diversity of grunge and heritage. Singles was a product of the music scene surfacing in the mainstream. Soon after that, Seattle became the rock n’ roll world of what Bethlehem was to Christianity.

Where the movie Singles was a romantic comedy with Seattle’s rock and backdrop, its soundtrack was a revolution. At the time, SPIN called the Singles soundtrack “as close as possible to the ultimate Seattle music anthology….”

Drink: Mojito

Mojito

With this genre, you will want to go for something unusual such as the Mango Collins, which has a twist. Instead of gin, replace it with vodka while adding the surprising flavor of mango instead of lemon.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ ounce vodka
  • ½ ounce Mandarine Napoleon Liqueur
  • 3 ounces Mango nectar
  • 1-ounce fresh lemon juice
  • Soda water
  • Sliced mango

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add all ingredients except the club soda. Shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosty and beaded with condensation. Strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Top off with club soda and garnish with mango.

Genre: R&B

Album: At Last!, Etta James

Etta James, is best known for her 1961 version of At Last. Her gutsy, take-no-prisoners vocals captivate the lovesong, blues, R&B, soul, rock n’ roll, jazz, and gospel. Her vocals can be upbeat and relaxed, like this album, At Last. Her voice is one of the richest instruments you’ll hear. There is a rawness to it that makes it feel like the words come from her soul and into the microphone without a screen.

Among other catalog notables: “If I Can’t Have You,” “Tell Mama” and “I’d Rather Go Blind.” Portrayed by Beyoncé in the 2008 film Cadillac Records, James released her last album in 2011 (The Dreamer) — the same year that DJ Avicii (“Levels”) and Flo Rida (“Good Feeling) sampled her ’62 hit “Something’s Got a Hold on Me.”

Drink: Lemon & Ginger Spritz

Lemon & Ginger Spritz

Rhythm & Blues, meet lemon & ginger. The Lemon & Ginger Spritz is a celebratory cocktail with an award-worthy flavor combination.

Add a spritz of flavor to your celebration with the Lemon & Ginger Spritz, and enjoy a delicious balance of fresh lemon juice, crisp ginger ale, and subtle notes of vanilla bean.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ ounce vodka
  • ½ ounce vanilla syrup
  • ½ ounce fresh lemon juice
  • 1 ½ ounce Ginger Ale
  • Lemon twist

Add vodka, vanilla syrup, and fresh-squeezed lemon juice into a wine glass with ice. Top with premium ginger ale, then stir. Garnish with a lemon twist and a stirrer.