Gordon Ramsay’s Top Cocktail Features a Funny Name!

Gordon Ramsay, the renowned British chef and restaurateur, is just as well-known for his sharp tongue as he is for his expertly crafted dishes. It comes as no surprise that his favorite cocktail has a name that sounds like something he’d say on “Hell’s Kitchen.” During a 2016 appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” Ramsay disclosed that his preferred tequila-based drink is called “Wake Up, You Donkey.”

Ramsay often uses the term “donkey” as a pointed insult when critiquing chefs on his shows. For instance, in a 2018 episode of “Hell’s Kitchen,” he claimed two chefs were “cooking like donkeys” and pondered whether the restaurant should be rebranded as “Donkey’s Kitchen” (via YouTube). He is also known for exclaiming “You donkey!” frequently, along with his trademark advice to “Wake up!”.

The “Wake Up, You Donkey” cocktail, which has a vibrant green color, contains “the most amazing tequila,” according to Ramsay (via YouTube), along with cider, fresh honey, and smoked elderflower — quite an unconventional ingredient for craft cocktails. It is garnished with a zesty lime slice. In his signature style, filled with expletives, the chef sampled the drink and exclaimed: “F*** me, that’s delicious.”

In 2016, Gordon Ramsay’s favorite cocktail was on the menu at the Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill in Atlantic City. In a 2015 Reddit “Ask Me Anything” thread, Ramsay described the drink as “sort of spicy and fragrant,” although he noted that it was previously made with Tanqueray gin. This suggests it might have been an earlier version before the focus shifted to tequila.

Sadly, the whimsically named cocktail has since been taken off the Gordon Ramsay Pub menu, although a 2019 cocktail menu did have a similar drink named “Giddy Up You Donkey,” which included El Jimador — an affordable tequila worth trying — along with smoked elderflower honey, lime, and Strongbow cider. However, as of 2024, the pub’s menu no longer features any donkeys.

These two cocktails are not the only donkey-themed drinks Ramsay has concocted. His restaurant, Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen at Caesars Palace — one of his many establishments worldwide — previously served a flaming tiki-style drink called the Rum Donkey. However, after two patrons were injured from the drink in 2018, it was removed from the menu as well.

In recent times, the playful donkey names and fiery cocktails have disappeared from Gordon Ramsay’s menus, making way for more sophisticated selections. The Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill in Atlantic City now offers drinks like a Royal Margarita, which includes cranberries alongside traditional margarita ingredients, and a signature gin and tonic featuring aloe vera liqueur and yuzu, a fragrant Japanese citrus.

While the donkey may no longer be present at the Gordon Ramsay Pub, there is a mule now — specifically, an apple mule combining Cîroc Apple Vodka, lime juice, cinnamon syrup, cardamom bitters, and ginger ale. With such a spicy mix, it’s sure to deliver a kick. If you order a Notes From Gordon cocktail at one of Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen locations, you might even receive a note with a humorous message from the chef himself, possibly including one of his famous donkey jokes.