World Cocktail day is here and it’s truly a fantastic time for us to all celebrate globally! Not only do we believe we have the best bar hire Essex has to offer but our great team of mixologists can serve up some great cocktails too. But where did the idea of cocktails come from and how have they become such a staple for every good celebration or get-together?
Let’s first take a trip down memory lane and find out how cocktails came about and how they’ve stayed integral to today by starting with the history of cocktails.
History Of Cocktails
With World Cocktail Day in mind, there are many different recollections of how cocktails first began from all around the world dating back centuries, but they are believed to have been at least partially inspired by British punch houses in the 18th century, where big bowls of spirits were made with fruit juices, spices and other flavours.
In 1806 in New York City, a savvy bartender concocted a special drink for the editor of a local newspaper, marking the first mention of a cocktail in print, kicking off the incredible world of mixology we have today, cheers to that!
Originally, cocktails were defined as a specific type of drink made with spirits, sugar, water and bitters. However, as time has passed the definition has changed to include a larger range of drinks made with a variety of ingredients.
Cocktails are now enjoyed globally with World Cocktail Day and there seems to be a cocktail to suit any taste or occasion. Here we’ve chosen our top four cocktails with great history that have become classics which people still drink today!
1. Old Fashioned
The old-fashioned dates back to the 1800s, so the earliest days of cocktails. It was then known as a whiskey cocktail. Its name came about as more complicated cocktails became available and some people preferred to stick with the simply constructed drink therefore requesting for their cocktail to be made the ‘old fashioned way’.
Back in 1806, this was a popular drink for the morning, known for the of aid headaches, nausea, and more commonly hangovers.
The old-fashioned cocktail was originally served with a lump of sugar dissolved in a small amount of water with two dashes of bitters and a spoon to self-serve the whisky or bourbon.
This traditional whisky cocktail is now served with bitters, soda water and a simple orange garnish, with lots of ice, so not too much has changed.
This could be a great drink to serve up on World Cocktail Day, taking it back as far as cocktails go!
2. Whisky Sour
A whiskey sour is the ideal blend of sweet and sour and is perfect for celebrating World Cocktail Day. The traditional whiskey sour was made with bourbon or whiskey and lemon juice, with sugar for sweetness. Sometimes egg is added for extra silkiness.
First mentioned in print in 1962, sailors likely consumed these long before this date. In the 1800s sailors would struggle to find clean water on voyages and often turned to making their own whiskey, rum and other spirits.
They also often suffered from scurvy due to a lack of vitamin C so they would take huge amounts of lemons and other citruses on voyages.
It is known that the whiskey sour became the perfect combination of citrus and whiskey to combat scurvy and quench the sailor’s thirst.
What an interesting way to end up with an amazing drink worth celebrating on World Cocktail Day!
3. Tom Collins
The classic Tom Collins is a straightforward cocktail combining gin, sugar, lemon juice, and club soda. Simple and refreshing!
It is mostly agreed that Tom Collins was a made-up character from a practical joke in New York in 1874. Someone would hear that a person with this name was slandering them at the next bar and would inevitably go to that bar asking for ‘Tom Collins’.
The story goes that this happened enough that bartenders started serving up a drink to match the request. We believe this will be a hit on World Cocktail Day because of its fun history and delicious taste.
4. Daiquiri
Supposedly an American mining engineer was the first to make a daiquiri after inviting a friend over to escape the scorching heat. He took rum with crushed ice, lime juice and a spoonful of sugar to make what he called the Daqiuri. He reportedly named it after a small town near Santiago, Cuba.
Later the daiquiri evolved to be mixed in a shaker but with the same ingredients. We suggest raising your glasses to World Cocktail Day in style with a timeless Daiquri!
Celebrate World Cocktail Day by hiring Beyond Bar Hire!
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about some of our favourite cocktails for World Cocktail Day, and we love how these cocktails have stood the test of time.
If you’d be interested in learning how to make any of these, we can offer these making these cocktails in our cocktail-making classes, along with many other classics and newer versions. We also offer dry hire so that you can have a go at making your own!
If you have any questions or would like to learn more, simply contact our friendly team and we will be able to help!
Recent Comments