# TheCocktailDB — Cocktail & Drink Recipe Scraper (`crawlergang/cocktaildb-scraper`) Actor

Scrape the world's largest cocktail recipe database - TheCocktailDB. Search by name or ingredient, browse by category or glass type, and fetch full recipes including ingredients, measures, instructions, and images. Free public API, no authentication required.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/crawlergang/cocktaildb-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Crawler Gang](https://apify.com/crawlergang) (community)
- **Categories:** Automation, Developer tools, Integrations
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 11 bookmarks
- **User rating**: 5.00 out of 5 stars

## Pricing

from $3.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## TheCocktailDB — Cocktail & Drink Recipe Scraper

Scrape the world's largest cocktail database at **TheCocktailDB**. Search by cocktail name, filter by ingredient, browse by category or glass type, and look up specific recipes. All data is public — no API key or proxy required.

### What data you get

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `cocktailId` | TheCocktailDB unique ID |
| `name` | Cocktail name |
| `category` | Drink category (e.g. Cocktail, Shot, Beer) |
| `alcoholic` | Alcoholic / Non alcoholic / Optional alcohol |
| `glass` | Recommended glass type |
| `instructions` | Preparation instructions |
| `imageUrl` | Cocktail photo URL |
| `ingredients` | List of `{ingredient, measure}` objects |
| `tags` | Category tags |
| `iba` | IBA classification (if available) |
| `cocktailDbUrl` | Link to recipe on thecocktaildb.com |
| `scrapedAt` | Timestamp of scrape |

### Input

| Field | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `mode` | Select | `search` | Fetch mode |
| `searchQuery` | String | `margarita` | Cocktail name to search (mode=search) |
| `ingredient` | String | `vodka` | Filter by ingredient (mode=byIngredient) |
| `category` | Select | `Cocktail` | Browse by category (mode=byCategory) |
| `glass` | Select | `Cocktail glass` | Browse by glass type (mode=byGlass) |
| `alcoholic` | Select | `Alcoholic` | Filter by alcoholic (mode=byAlcoholic) |
| `cocktailIds` | Array | `[]` | IDs to look up (mode=lookup) |
| `maxItems` | Integer | `50` | Max records to emit |

### Modes

| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| `search` | Search for cocktails by name |
| `byIngredient` | All cocktails containing a specific ingredient |
| `byCategory` | All cocktails in a category (Cocktail, Shot, Beer, etc.) |
| `byGlass` | All cocktails served in a specific glass type |
| `byAlcoholic` | Filter by alcoholic / non-alcoholic / optional |
| `lookup` | Look up specific cocktails by their TheCocktailDB ID |

### FAQs

**Is this free?**\
Yes. TheCocktailDB free API (v1) is completely public — no account needed.

**How many cocktails are in the database?**\
Over 600 cocktails with full recipes, ingredients, and photos.

**Are the images publicly accessible?**\
Yes — `imageUrl` links to freely accessible photos hosted on thecocktaildb.com.

**What categories are available?**\
Cocktail, Ordinary Drink, Punch / Party Drink, Shake, Shot, Coffee / Tea, Beer, Soft Drink, and more.

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

How to fetch cocktails.

## `searchQuery` (type: `string`):

Cocktail name to search for.

## `ingredient` (type: `string`):

Ingredient name to filter by, e.g. 'vodka', 'gin', 'lime juice'.

## `category` (type: `string`):

Cocktail category.

## `glass` (type: `string`):

Glass type to filter by, e.g. 'Cocktail glass', 'Highball glass'.

## `alcoholic` (type: `string`):

Filter by alcoholic content.

## `cocktailIds` (type: `array`):

List of TheCocktailDB integer IDs to look up.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of cocktail records to emit.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "search",
  "searchQuery": "margarita",
  "ingredient": "vodka",
  "category": "Cocktail",
  "glass": "Cocktail glass",
  "alcoholic": "Alcoholic",
  "cocktailIds": [],
  "maxItems": 50
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `cocktails` (type: `string`):

Dataset containing all scraped cocktail recipes.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "mode": "search",
    "searchQuery": "margarita",
    "ingredient": "vodka",
    "category": "Cocktail",
    "glass": "Cocktail glass",
    "alcoholic": "Alcoholic",
    "cocktailIds": [],
    "maxItems": 50
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("crawlergang/cocktaildb-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "mode": "search",
    "searchQuery": "margarita",
    "ingredient": "vodka",
    "category": "Cocktail",
    "glass": "Cocktail glass",
    "alcoholic": "Alcoholic",
    "cocktailIds": [],
    "maxItems": 50,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("crawlergang/cocktaildb-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "mode": "search",
  "searchQuery": "margarita",
  "ingredient": "vodka",
  "category": "Cocktail",
  "glass": "Cocktail glass",
  "alcoholic": "Alcoholic",
  "cocktailIds": [],
  "maxItems": 50
}' |
apify call crawlergang/cocktaildb-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=crawlergang/cocktaildb-scraper",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/K1ce1GkPc9pfBjgn6/builds/JJKIO0zthLICU87Ht/openapi.json