History of the Cocktail | Iconic Cocktails Around the World

HISTORY OF THE COCK ΤΑIL A LOOK INTO THE WORLD'S MOST ICONIC COCKTAILS "LIFE IS LIKE A COCKTAIL, IT'S ALL IN HOW YOU MAKE IT!" THE FIRST RECORDED USE OF THE AMERICANS LIKE TO CLAIM WORD 'COCKTAIL' AS A DRINK THAT THE COCKTAIL IS A CAN BE TRACED BACK TO 1806... U.S. INVENTION ... in an upstate New York City newspaper, although the word made its first appearance in The Morning Post and Gazetteer, a London newspaper, on March 20th, 1798: whether that's true or not, the cocktail has become ubiquitous, weaving its way into the cultural fabric of countries all over the world. Mr. Pitt, two petit vers of "L'huile de Venus" Ditto, one of "perfeit amour" Ditto, "cock-tail" (vulgarly called ginger) SHAKEN OR STIRRED? ON THE ROCKS OR STRAIGHT UP? HIGHBALL OR CHAMPAGNE FLUTE? IT'S TIME TO FIND OUT... THE COCKTAILS MARGARITA (MEXICO) Pronunciation: Mar Igar | reeta "Margarita' originates from the Spanish name equivalent to Margaret. Origin There are many different claims for where one of Mexico's favourite exports originated from. The choices are: lime Carlos "Danny" Herrara invented the drink in his restaurant Rancho La Gloria in Mexico for one of his customers, Majorie King, who was allergic to all hard alcohol with the exception of tequila. Don Carlos Orozco was experimenting in his bar and named the drink after Margarita Henkel (daughter of the then German ambassador) – the first person to drink the tipple. ice 3 parts lime juice Margarita Sames, a Dallas socialite, created the drink for her guests in Acapulco. Tommy Hilton was one of the guests and brought the drink to his Hilton hotel chain. 4 parts Method cointreau Rub the rim of the glass with lime for the salt to stick around the edges. Combine all ingredients ina cocktail shaker full of ice and shake. Pour contents into the glass and garnish with lime. 7 parts tequila Did You Knozw? Have you ever noticed that the Margarita glass resembles an inverted sombrero? Claim To Fame margarita glass Jack Kerouac is claimed to have been a keen drinker of Margaritas. In more recent times Jennifer Aniston has also made no secret of her love for the drink. MAI TAI (CALIFORNIA) Pronunciation: My | tie "Maita' i' is of Polynesian origin and is the Tahitian word for 'good'; but the drink is spelled as two words. Origin Although the Mai Tai may often be associated with Hawaii, it is reported to have been invented by Victor J. ("Trader Vic") Bergeron in 1944 in Oakland, 1 1/2 parts Califomia's Trader Vic's. white rum It's claimed Bergeron created the rum flavoured cocktail for some friends who were visiting from Tahiti. After sampling the drink for the first time one of his 1 part dark friends exclaimed "Maita'i roa ae!" which in Taihitian means "very good" or "out of this world" and so the Mai Tai was bom. 1/2 part curacgo Method 1/2 part orgeat Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. syrup Shake vigorously and pour into a lowball glass. Did You Know? Victor J. Bergeron is noted as one of the key players in 10ml lime juice establishing the Tiki scene in Califormia. Claim To Fame The Mai Tai prominently featured in the Elvis Presley film Blue Hawai in 1961. lowball glass SIDECAR (LONDON OR PARIS) Pronunciation: Side car "Sidecar' originally referred to a small one-wheeled car, attached to the side of a motorcycle. Origin The exact origin of the Sidecar cocktail is disputed with some saying it was created in The Ritz Hotel in Paris during WWI, while others claim it was invented by Pat MacGary, a bartender at Buck's Club, London. 1 lemon twist - (for garnish) sugar Though the Sidecar's origin remains a topic of debate, all agree that the Sidecar is a classic sour cocktail - a reflection of the sour cocktail's popularity in the early 1900s. (for cocktail rim if desired) 1/2 part lemon juice Method If desired, sugar the rim of the cocktail glass. Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake contents and pour into the glass. Gamish with lemon twist. 1 part triple sec 1 1/2 parts Did You Know? cognac or bourbon (if making a bourbon sidecar) If you buy the theory that the Sidecar originated in Paris, the drink was allegedly invented for a U.S. Army General who liked to travel by sideca. Claim To Fame cocktail glass The Sidecar was one of many cocktails associated with Emest Hemingway during the 1920s. MOJITO (HAVANA, CUBA) Pronunciation: M-oh | hee | t-oh Although 'Mojito' originates from Cuban Spanish, 'mojo' is an African word which means to place a little spell. Origin The Mojito's roots are traced back to 1586 when Francis Drake came to Havana. During this time a drink very similar to today's Mojito called "El Draque" soda was created and consumed for medicinal purposes. El Draque's recipe was later (mid- 1800s) altered by using rum to replace aguardiente (rum's predecessor that contained between 29-60% alcohol by volume). Thus the Mojito was bom. ice leftover limes Method 1/2 part curacao In a highball glass, gently muddle your fresh mint leaves with sugar, lime juice and limes leftover from 3 parts fresh lime juice 2 teaspoons squeezing out the lime juice. If you don't have a muddler you can use the back of a spoon. Add the rum, ice, soda water and stir to mix. Gamish with a mint sprig. superfine sugar 4 parts white rum handful of fresh mint Did You Know? leaves The original Cuban Mojito uses spearmint o rba Buena, a variety of mint extremely popular in Cuba. mint sprig Claim To Fame highball glass Emest Hemingway is said to have been a big fan of the Mojito and regularly drank the Cuban cocktail in La Bodeguita del Medio (Havana, Cuba). SINGAPORE SLING (SINGAPORE) Pronunciation: Sing-a poor Slin |g "Sling' originates from the German verb 'schlingen' which means to swallow'. Origin The drink's roots can be traced back to circa 1915. It is 1/3 part grenadine said Ngiam Tong Boom, a Hainanese bartender working at the Long Bar in Raffles Hotel (Singapore), created this cocktail. 1/4 part 1 1/2 benedictine parts gin Method 1/4 part cointreau Combine all ingredients with ice and shake using a shaker. Pour ingredients into an ice-filled glass and garnish with either a cherry or pineapple slice. liqueur 1/2 part lime juice parts pineapple juice Did You Know? 1/2 part cherry heering This cocktail was originally called the gin sling. A sling was a popular American cocktail enjoyed in the late 1800s which comprised a spirit mixed with water and sugar. 1 dash bitters Claim To Fame pineapple or cherry (for gamish) Singapore Slings were regularly enjoyed by Raffles regulars Noël Coward, Somerset Maugham and Emest Hemingway. highball glass ice MANHATTAN (NE W YORK CITY) Pronunciation: Man | hat-tan It is said that the 'Manhattan' was created by Dr. lain Marshall at the Manhattan Club, NYC in 1874. Origin Legend has it that Dr. lain Marshall invented this drink for a banquet hosted by Lady Randolph Churchill - Sir Winston Churchill's mother. The banquet was put on maraschino in honour of Samuel J. Tilden, a presidential candidate cherry (for garnish) of the time. 1 twist of orange peel (for gamish) Method Stir all ingredients over ice and strain into a chilled 2-3 dashes cocktail glass. Gamish with maraschino chery and a twist of orange peel. Enjoy straight up (without ice). angostura bitters Did You Know? 1/2 part sweet vermouth Some believe Manhattans are always stirred and never shaken to avoid foaming, however foaming is caused by either dirly utensils or low quality ingredients. 2 parts rye whiskey Claim To Fame The Manhattan was the favourite cocktail of Marilyn Monroe's character in 1959's Some Like it Hot. cocktail glass BELLINI (VENICE, ITALY) Pronunciation: Beh | lee nee "Bellini' originates from the name of the Venetian painter Giovanni Bellini. Origin The story goes that the Bellini was first concocted and served at Harry's Bar (Venice) in 1934 by Guiseppe Cipriani, founder of Harry's Bar. Cipriani named this cocktail a Bellini because its peach colour reminded him of a toga wom in a 15th century painting by Giovanni Bellini. 2 parts peach juice, puree, or nectar Method Pour your peach juice, puree or nectar into a chilled champagne flute and gently top up with Prosecco. 4 parts prosecco Did You Know? Bellinis can be easily adapted by replacing the peach puree with an equal amount of mandarin juice (for a Puccini), strawbery puree (for a Rossini) or pomegranate juice (for a Tintoretto). Claim To Fame Harry's bar was a regular haunt for the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Sinclair Lewis and Orson Welles, meaning they may well have been found with a Bellini in hand. champagne WHITE (OR BLACK) RUSSIAN (BELGIUM) Pronunciation: Why te Rush|an Contrary to popular belief neither the White nor Black Russian originate from Russia. Origin Although it is unclear which cocktail preceded the other, the Black Russian can be traced back to Gustave Tops, a Belgian barman. Tops created the 2 parts vodka cocktail at the Hotel Metropole in Brussels in 1949, in honour of Perle Mesta, the US ambassador to Luxembourg at the time. Method 1 part heavy cream For a White Russian mix the vodka and Kahlúa together and pour into an old fashioned glass filled with ice. Top the drink off with the cream. Simply remove the addition of cream to create a Black Russian. part kahlúa Did You Knorw? The White Russian's popularity in recent times is ice thought to be thanks to the cult classic The Big Lebowski. In the film the White Russian is the protagonist's ("The Dude") signature drink although "The Dude" refers to it as a "Caucasian"! Claim To Fame The White Russian not only takes centre stage in The Big Lebowski but is also reported to be Kim Kardashian's favourite cocktail. old fashioned glass PLEASE REMEMBER TO DRINK RESPONSIBLY SOURCES 1984: Victor J. 'Trader Vic' Bergeron dies - sfgate.com Bellini, Mai Tai, Manhattan & Sidecar - cocktails.about.com Black Russian & White Russian - liquor.com Cuban mojito history and recipe - havanajournal.com How to Make a Sidecar - esquire.com Mai Tai - jamieoliver.com Mojito - en.wikipedia.org Pronunciation of Mojito - pronouncenames.com Sling (Generic name) - diffordsguide.com The History of the Margarita - smithsonianmag.com The Raffles Hotel Original Singapore Gin Sling Cocktail - chinese.food.com The Sidecar Cocktail: A Classic Beset By War, Whimsy And A Bit On The Side - laweekly.com Staysure