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Many of the drinks we know today were created over 100 years ago. Renowned beverage historian and distiller of Sipsmith gin (London gin) Jared Brown says the cocktail may have originated in the 1200s when the European alchemist Arnaldus de Villa Nova perfected the art of distillation and called the resulting liquid aqua vitae (water of life). ).
Distillation has undergone many changes over the centuries. An aqueous solution of ethyl alcohol spread throughout the world. First the Irish, then the Scots discovered usquebaugh (whiskey), the French – cognac and armagnac, the Dutch and the British – gin, Russians and Poles – vodka. These spirits formed the basis of cocktails.
Cock’s tail (1500–1800)
Mixed drinks have been known since the 1500s, such as mulled wine. But the term “cocktail” appeared later. There are many stories about its origin. One tells of a beautiful king’s daughter named Coctal, who was present when the king of Mexico and an American general signed a peace treaty in the 1800s.
Another credits the invention of the word to the Frenchman Antoine Amedepeixo, the creator of the Peychaud beater liqueur. He served a mixture of beater and brandy as a cure for stomach problems in an egg cup called in French a coquette.
The most popular story is about French soldiers helping the Americans fight for independence in the 1770s. A bartender named Betsy Flanagan served them drinks adorned with colorful rooster tail feathers.
One of the first written mentions of the word “cocktail” was found in the pages of the New York newspaper “The Balance & Columbian Repository” dated May 13, 1806. The cocktail was described as “a stimulant liquor consisting of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and beaters – they are also vulgarly called beater slings.”
American Golden Age (1800–1900)
In the early 1800s, sazerac (rye whiskey or cognac with absinthe and beaters) and brandy crusta (cognac, Grand Marnier and Maraschino) were created in New Orleans. Whiskey sour appeared in the 1850s. Then the first bottles of vermouth were brought to America, and a cocktail of rye whiskey and vermouth appeared called “Manhattan”. Bartender and author of The Joy of Mixology, Gary Regan, reports that the Manhattan was the very first cocktail to use vermouth. He became a kind of progenitor of martinez and martini.
Early American cocktails were made primarily with cognac, rum, or American whiskey. Gin was the only hard liquor. Vodka, which has now become the basis of many popular cocktails, was still not in sight.
In 1862, the first ever book about bartending, The Bartender’s Guide, by Jerry Thomas, was published. The author is often called the godfather of the American bartending industry. His book mentioned the earliest recipes for marmalade alcohol and bottled cocktails.
In 1882, Harry “Dean” Johnson, another important figure in the history of American bartending, published his “Bartender’s Handbook”. In it, he first referred to the classic Gin Martini. It was stirred, not shaken.
The XNUMXth century was the golden era for cocktails in the US. Bartending was one of the highest paid professions. Thomas was one of the most powerful people in San Francisco and was rumored to be earning more than a vice president. Keep in mind that bartenders back then didn’t have access to ready-made syrups or pulps. Everything was prepared from scratch, and these drinks are still in demand.
Even the ice in the cocktail then received a lot of attention. In two parts of their encyclopedic discourse on spirits and cocktails, Spiritual Journey: A History of Drink, Brown and Miller tell us that in the 1830s, ice blocks were mined from frozen lakes in Boston and shipped to the American South and Cuba. In time, this ice will appear in Calcutta, where the British will cool wine and beer with it.
Cross the Atlantic (1900–1933)
Cocktail making began to decline as the sobriety movement swept the United States in the early 1900s. This led to a ban in the United States on the consumption, production and transportation of alcohol.
It covers the period from 1920 to 1933. Illegal alcohol became popular, and many distillers left the big cities to make the drinks in the forests or in Canada and then ship them illegally to the US. This led to a phenomenon called “bootlegging”, which refers to liquor dealers during Prohibition.
Instead of ordinary bars, illegal “speakers” appeared. At that time, some bartenders chose a different profession, others migrated to Europe to work in London and Parisian bars. Soon, American drinkers began to look for these establishments. So the first “American bars” appeared in London and Paris. Bars in chic hotels like the Savoy in London or the Ritz in Paris have become a mecca for cocktails.
Bloody Mary
In 1917, vodka producer Vladimir Smirnov, fleeing the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, left for France.
In 1920, he began selling vodka in Western Europe under the French name Smirnoff. A year later, a cocktail of vodka and tomato juice caught the attention of patrons at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris.
Very soon, flavorings such as Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco were added to the recipe, and thus the Bloody Mary was born, perhaps the first ever vodka cocktail.
Vodka takes over the world (1933–1990)
Prohibition ended in 1933, but World War II soon broke out. Times for the distillery industry in the US remained turbulent. Vodka came to America only after the end of hostilities.
There she had to compete with beer, whiskey and rum, which the Americans consumed in huge quantities. At the time, rum-based Polynesian tiki cocktails such as Mai Tai and Planters Punch were all the rage in North America.
In the 1950s, some young Americans began drinking vodka mixed with ginger ale. It was called “Moscow Mule”.
Then, in 1962, a British spy announced to moviegoers across the Atlantic that he liked a vodka martini to be shaken, not mixed. So vodka became the new favorite ingredient for cocktails. Over the past 2 decades, most drinks have been prepared with it.
Cosmopolitan
In 1979, the Swedish vodka brand Absolut appeared in the United States. Seven years later, the company released the world’s first Peppar flavored vodka with a pepper flavor, and then another with lemon (Citron).
In 1990, famed New York bartender Toby Cecchinni prepared a drink in his bar (Odeon) consisting of Citron vodka, Cointreau liqueur, cranberry and lemon juice. Mixologist Dale Degroff, also known as the King of Cocktails, prepared the same drink for pop diva Madonna at his bar in New York. He added flambéed (flame-burnt) orange zest to it. This is how Cosmopolitan was born.
Quantity Over Quality (1990–2000)
The emergence of bar chains such as Thank God it’s Friday (today TGI Fridays Restaurant & Bar) in the early 1990s had a negative impact on quality. Instead of exquisite drinks in elegant glassware, they served simply hastily mixed drinks in crude jugs. The price matched the quality, but the art of mixing drinks was all but lost.
Renaissance (2000–2013)
At this time, modern classics appeared. For example, Breakfast Martini (gin with jam), invented by Salvatore Calabrese in the London Library Bar.
Matthew Pomeroy, global brand ambassador for Absolut vodka, says the last 10 years have seen a resurgence in quality vodka. “The new focus on fresh juices and fresh ingredients has taken the art of bartending to the next level,” he says, “while the internet and old cocktail books allow modern bartenders to explore the classics.”
Cocktails have come a long way since the first drink was mixed. They helped the food industry grow, created new professions and jobs, and, most importantly, helped bring people together.
Modern views
To understand how to create unique cocktails, as a mixologist does, you need to know not individual recipes, but types.
Aperitif
Drinks that are mixed or shaken in old-fashioned glasses are at a premium. They usually serve whiskey, gin, bourbon with ice. An excellent example of a classic aperitif is the eponymous Old Fashioned Cocktail, as well as the Negroni. Despite the characteristic conical shape of the glass, Martini is served in it.
Highball
Consists of two ingredients. Take 1 part of alcohol to 2 or 3 parts of carbonated drink. Rum with cola, or Cuba Libre, falls into this category. Cocktails are as strong as the bartender wants, but they are usually easy to drink.
Mixed
Whether shaken by hand or placed in a blender, this category requires more specialized equipment than the previous ones. Cosmopolitan, a more fruity version of a martini, is best shaken to mix the ingredients thoroughly. Frozen smoothies, including the fruity Daiquiri and Pina Colada, are also of this type, perfect for summer. Much of what we drink today are mixed drinks whose classic recipes have evolved. They are frozen, shaken, new liqueurs are added.
Hot
Irish coffee, butter rum, apple cider are some examples of beverages that are best served warm. The roots of many representatives go back centuries. Ideal for winter. Enjoy them at holiday parties, but don’t expect every bar to cater to your needs: the right ingredients aren’t available everywhere.
Tiki
Fruity cocktails with exotic names take you to the beach of a tropical island paradise. These include Mai Tai, Singapore Sling, Hurricane. One of the distinguishing features of these Polynesian wonders is the variety of glassware they are served in.
Shots
Not every cocktail is meant to be sipped slowly. Shots are drunk in one gulp. In preparation, they are sometimes as difficult as their counterparts, and the pleasures from them are no less. Layered cocktails, including the B-52 and the Concrete Mixer or Parachute, look colorful and structured in a glass.
Molecular
Specialized equipment and molecular gastronomy techniques commonly applied to food were quickly adopted by chefs and mixologists to create interesting cocktails. They use the shaker for new flavors, textures and presentation. There are many bright representatives: cocktail caviar, multi-colored layered drinks, with foam and bubbles, cocktails that look like lava lamps, powdered, frozen “nitro” and everything you can imagine.
Dry ice
There is nothing more impressive than a steaming drink. In demand during Halloween, but you can cook it at any time to create a cozy autumn atmosphere. Since it is carbon dioxide in solid form, it is used to fill a liquid with gas bubbles. Basically, cocktails are cooled by them, but before drinking, you should wait until the end of the chemical reaction so as not to get a burn of the mucosa. To prepare, place a couple of dry ice cubes in a glass, then regular ice cubes and fill with a drink. This type includes Witch’s Heart, Vampire’s Kiss and others.
Smoothies
By mixing liquor or any alcohol with healthy ingredients such as fresh fruit and yogurt, you can give the cocktail a “healthy” status. In vegan smoothies, cream and milk are replaced with juices, while fruit smoothies are like both a drink and a meal.
Non-alcoholic
Alcohol is included in most cocktails, but it is not required. Some drinks initially did not involve alcohol-containing substances, while others can simply exclude it. The quintessential non-alcoholic cocktail is Shirley Temple, a light, sweet mixture of grenadine, soda, lime.
Relevance: 20.03.2020
Tags: Encyclopedia