Image: Sydney Morning Herald

Forget your magnum bottles of Dom Perignon and Cristal, and throw away your vintage bottles of Bordeaux and Penfold’s finest. The world’s super rich have even more exclusive, expensive and extravagant drinks to enjoy and use to show off their wealth. All around the world, the most luxurious bars are competing with each other to curate the most astonishing, once-in-a-lifetime cocktails to be sipped by the global elite, using rare and wonderful ingredients and the most expensive spirits.

Make no mistake, these billionaire’s cocktails are as much status symbols and ‘experiences’ as much as they are delicious examples of the finest mixology. And while this sort of frivolous cash-flashing with bizarre ingredients may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s difficult not to be impressed by the concept behind them, not to mention the brazenness of the bar for charging such astronomic prices! Here’s our countdown of the three most extreme, most insanely extravagant cocktails on earth.

The Winston

Served at Melbourne’s very own Club 23 (the nightspot co-owned by Shane Warne), the Winston supposedly takes two days to make correctly, and comes in at an eye-watering price of $12,500. It includes a shot from a bottle of Croizet cognac which dates back to 1858, along with some Chartreuse Vieillissement Exceptionnellement Prolonge, some Agnostura Bitters and a dusting of chocolate nutmeg.

Diamonds Are Forever

A slightly bizarre number coming in second place, this vodka cocktail is served at the Ritz Carlton of Tokyo alongside a live band playing the Shirley Bassey hit of the same name. For $18,000, you get a premium grey goose martini with a lime twist, ‘garnished’ with a loose one carat diamond swimming in the bottom of a crystal glass. Just be careful when you knock it back…

The Ruby Rose
Designed to celebrate the fortieth birthday of Maine’s White Barn Inn, the Ruby Rose quickly gained legendary status as the most expensive cocktail on earth, with a price tag of $40,000. Of all the cocktails listed here, it sounds perhaps the most delicious – St. Germain elderflower cordial, mixed with Hangar One vodka, grapefruit and pomegranate juice, and a dash of damask rosewater. Oh, and a four carat flawless ruby, too.