Screwdriver, B-52, Margarita and Moscow Mule: where did these strange cocktail names come from

I went one evening to one of the bars to sit. A nice girl handed me a wine list, and there is such an assortment of cocktails … It seems that the ingredients are not so exotic, but the names …

Interesting and unusual. And most importantly, in my opinion, completely unsuitable for the composition. I was wondering where did they come from? I decided to look into it, and here’s what I found out.

Screwdriver

The good old “Screwdriver”. Who does not know this unusual taste of vodka with orange juice? After I tried it for the first time many years ago, I was delighted. Invigorating! Moreover, it will not be difficult to cook it even at home: 50 ml of vodka and 150 ml of juice.

Note! To soften the bitter aftertaste of the cocktail, you can add quite a bit of Amaretto liqueur (“Amaretto”, 1 rubles per bottle) there.

Nobody wondered why “Screwdriver” and not “Pliers”? It turns out there is an explanation for this. Once upon a time, miners decided to experiment and added orange juice from their dry rations to the water. And they stirred this cocktail with a screwdriver. Hence the name.

Blue Lagoon

Beach, light waves, sea breeze, “Blue Lagoon” … It evokes only such associations in me. Actually, under the inspiration from the purest waters of the Spanish thermal spring, this cocktail was created.

Bartender Andy McElhone liked this picture so much that he, wanting to repeat the color, mixed vodka, lemonade and added Blue Curacao liqueur (“Blue Curacao”, 1 rubles).

Important! When preparing the Blue Lagoon, all proportions must be strictly observed, otherwise the color will not be the same.

To make Laguna still blue, you need to mix 70 ml of vodka, 250 ml of Sprite, 30 ml of blue liquor and Voila! the magic drink is ready!

B52

The B52, or “Beefy” as it is affectionately known, is named after the Boeing B-52, a US Army military bomber. So let’s say, a tribute to the brave aviators.

Important! It is recommended to drink the cocktail in one sip from the bottom layer, through a straw.

For its preparation, precision and dexterity are important. I did not succeed the first time, but the interest made me not retreat.

So, you will need 20 ml of Captain’s Rum coffee liqueur (Captain’s Rum, 414 rubles), 20 ml of Baileys (Baileys, 1080 rubles) and 20 ml of Cointreau (Cointreau, 1215 rubles). For showiness, the bartenders also set fire to the cocktail.

Margaret

There have been legends around the creation of Margarita for many years: someone talks about a bartender who forgot the recipe for another cocktail, someone about the fantasy of one of the “socialites”. I like a slightly different version. I’m telling.

Somewhere in the middle of the XNUMXth century, actress Marjorie King often visited one of the Tijuana bars to relax after heavy filming. But here’s the problem. The allergy overtook the girl after any alcohol, except for tequila.

And in its pure form, the lady’s drink was not “comme il faut” to drink. Then the bartender mixed tequila with orange liqueur and lime juice. The cocktail was liked not only by the actress, but also by all the visitors.

Note! For piquancy, bartenders decorate the glass with a salt “rim”.

To prepare “Margarita” it is enough to mix 35 ml of Olmeca tequila (“Olmeca”, 1951 ruble), 20 ml of Cointreau (“Cointreau”) and 15 ml of lime juice.

Moscow mule

The Moscow Mule got its name in America back in the 50s. I thought about it, what does Moscow and America have to do with it? And the point is this. Things then at the Moscow alcohol brand “Smirnov” in America were not very good.

There they decided to make a kind of advertising move: to create a cocktail based on their vodka. So, in the bar charts of that time, it was Smirnov vodka, and in advertising banners the name Moscow mule was full of it.

Important! In a cocktail, it is desirable to use beer, and not ginger ale, in order to preserve its original taste.

I tried to make this cocktail at home. It turned out the first time, however, I had to tinker with the search for beer. Just mix 60 ml of vodka (Smirnov from 590 rubles), 150 ml of ginger beer (from 199 rubles) and 15 ml of lime juice.

Drill / Himlet

A cocktail that, after a few servings, will literally “hole through the memory”. Tried it personally. Hence the name. But there is also the second – “Gimlet”.

In the XNUMXth century, sailors suffered from scurvy. The reason was found: a lack of vitamin C – and citrus juice was included in the mandatory diet. But for traveling, it was important that the juice be stored for a long time, for which they developed the technology of preservation with the addition of sugar.

Scurvy was defeated, and the sailors began to add gin to it. It got its name in honor of Admiral Thomas Gimlet, who believed that gin with lime juice was the best cure for everything.

Note! Fortress “Gimlet” 30 degrees. It should be limited to 1-2 servings.

Do you want to “improve your health” with a sea drug? Listen and remember – 20 ml of lime juice, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 60 ml of dry gin (from 350 rubles). Don’t overdo it!

Now everyone can throw a party with famous cocktails and dilute the holiday with stories about their origin! What cocktail do you like?