You can’t go wrong with a classic cocktail. Whether you’re craving a tried-and-true Dark N Stormy, or a posh Cosmo.
Here are 10 must try Classic Cocktails.
COSMOPOLITAN:
The origin of the Cosmopolitan is disputed. But one popular story is that the Cosmo was created by a college student named Neal Murray. He did not get the job just because of the management’s racism. But once while they were all away for a weekend for an event, the staff snuck him in. In three days, they trained him. And by the time the management returned, his talent and skill made them accept him as the new bartender.
One night he was experimenting with the cocktail, Kamikaze. He discovered that adding a splash of cranberry juice to the drink gave it a delightful pink color, and a delicious fruity punch. When someone asked him what it was, he said he didn’t know. The customer responded by calling it “very Cosmopolitan”, which is how it got the name.
SCREWDRIVER:
Why would one call a drink made of vodka and juice “screwdriver”?
The screwdriver originated when American Oil workers in the oil fields of Turkey, started adding vodka to their orange juice, for an extra kick. And since they didn’t have any spoons handy, they stirred it with screwdrivers. That explains the name. And since they weren’t supposed to be drinking on the job, “Screwdriver” was an easy way to refer to it without ginning it away.
TOM COLLINS:
In 1874, there was a mass prank going around in New York in which people used to tell their friends that a man named Tom Collins had been spreading nasty rumors about him or her in a nearby bar. People would then go to the local pub and ask for Tom Collins.
The bartender of the pub heard that joke too many times and got an idea. After that, the next time somebody ran into the bar demanding to see Tom Collins; the bartender gave a refreshing gin cocktail.
LONG ISLAND ICED TEA:
A consistent theme with classic cocktails- the Long Island Iced Tea also has multiple origin stories.
Some claim the drink originated during the prohibition, when an older gentleman with an entrepreneurial spirit created a cocktail to look like iced tea as a way to drink by disguise. Not only did the iced tea look aesthetic, but also having five different alcohols definitely added to the appeal.
MARTINI:
Martini is a mixture of gin and dry vermouth.
In the early 1860s, people used to frequently go to the Occidental Hotel in San Francisco and order bartender Jerry Thomas’s special mixture of gin and dry vermouth. And then they would take an evening ferry to the nearby town of Martinez. The bartender later named his signature cocktail ‘Martini’ in reference to the destination people headed to after consuming the drink.
MOJITO:
A 16th century in Cuba holds resemblance to the modern-day Mojito.
This mixture of mint, rum, sugar, and lime juice was originally made with a harsh liquor called aguardiente. The lime juice and sugar used to cut the hard taste. The name of the drink comes from a Cuban spice made from limes, called mojo.
BLOODY MARY:
In the 1920s, Fernand Petiot, an American mixed up equal parts tomato juice and vodka. A patron in the bar suggested he call the drink “Bloody Mary.” He said it reminded him of the Bucket of Blood Club in Chicago, and a girl he knew there named Mary.
When he took the recipe to New York, the people weren’t too impressed at first. They said the drink tasted a bit bland. He added black pepper, cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce, lemon and a splash of tabasco pepper sauce, for those who wanted it. And that’s how an American classic was born.
DARK N STORMY:
Made of spicy ginger beer and rich Gosling’s Black Seal dark rum, the drink allegedly got its name from an old sailor who compared the drink’s murky hue to the color of storm clouds. An old fisherman commented on how it looked, comparing it to a cloud “only a fool or dead man would sail under.”
It’s an unproven legend. But the drink’s connection to the joys and dangers of seafaring is well-established.
BELLINI:
This delightful wine cocktail is a blend of white peach puree and Prosecco. Giuseppe Cipriani, started mixing up the fruity tipples in 1934 and the pink color of the drink reminded him of a saint’s toga from a painting by Italian Renaissance artist Giovanni Bellini. Thus, he named his cocktail ‘Bellini’ in honor of the painter and his artwork.
MARGARITA:
There is an old drink which is a mix of brandy, triple sec, and lemon juice; called the Daisy. A bartender in Tijuana, Mexico was making a Daisy and accidentally grabbed a bottle of tequila instead of brandy. The accident became a hit at the bar. And it was then made famous as a new drink called Margarita, the Spanish word for the Daisy.
