The document provides histories and origin stories for 16 classic cocktails: the Gimlet, Alexander, Martini, Tom Collins, Cuba Libre, Tequila Sunrise, Old-Fashioned, Manhattan, Rob Roy, Bellini, Kir, Daiquiri, Negroni, Black Russian, Long Island Iced Tea, Bloody Mary, and Margarita. Many cocktails have disputed origins, but most developed in the late 19th/early 20th centuries and were named for people, places, or events associated with their invention or popularity. The document traces the evolution of ingredients and circumstances that led to these classic drinks.

1. Classic Cocktail History
Gimlet
A gimlet is a tool, sort of a hand-held drill, commonly used on sailing ships. It’s also a cocktail. There’s a
connection. Maybe. The most popular origin story for this lime-juice-and-gin concoction involves the
invention in the 1860s of a lime juice cordial by a Mr. Lauchlin Rose that did not require refrigeration,
thereby making it valuable for British Royal Navy sailors on long sea voyages who risked the dangers of
contracting the disease scurvy without regular source of Vitamin C. (Rose’s Lime Juice remains a staple
for mixologists). Sailors being sailors, they began adding gin to it. Another possibility is that it was
invented by a naval surgeon named Thomas Gimlette. Either way, it dates to the days of wooden sailing
ships. Maybe the tool came into play because of its “sharp” taste?
The Alexander
The original version of this cocktail is gin-based, with crème de cacao and heavy cream added, but other
versions use brandy or cognac. The history of its invention is as blurry as its effects after consuming a
few, but theories cite it being created in the 1910s at the New York restaurant Rector’s by a bartender
named Troy Alexander. He made it for the wedding in 1922 of Lord Lascelles and Princess Mary in
London. Or The Alexander was named after the renowned drama critic and commentator Alexander
Woolcott, who lived from 1887 to 1943.
Martini
Aficionados disagree, sometimes violently, on the correct ratio of gin to dry vermouth that makes a
transcendent martini, and the debate over the true origin of the martini can be just as contentious.
Some claim that it's simply a dryer version of an older cocktail called the Martinez; Martinez, California,
the birthplace of this cocktail, thus stakes its claim to the title of birthplace of the martini. Others
postulate that the drink's name simply comes from Martini & Rossi, an Italian company that's been
exporting its vermouths to the U.S. since the 19th century. Still others claim that the drink was created
by and named for Martini di Arma di Taggia, the bartender at New York's Knickerbocker Hotel, although
there's evidence that the cocktail may have been invented well before he started mixing drinks.
Tom Collins
You would think this cocktail would be named after a person. Well, sort of. According to popular
accounts, it started in the summer of 1874 as a prank. The basic premise was that a gent would

2. encounter a friend and tell him that a fellow by the name of “Tom Collins” had been saying hurtful and
slanderous things about him at a particular watering hole. The friend would rush to the bar, where the
bartender was in on the joke, and be told that “Collins” had moved on to another bar across town,
where the wild-goose chase would continue. The hoax spread across the country, and pretty soon, the
theory goes, the drink followed, with the bartenders handing over the gin cocktail to the gentleman
rather than playing along.
Cuba Libre
A few fanciful tales revolve around this drink, but it’s fairly certain that this mixture of Bacardi Rum and
Coca-Cola with a twist of lime came about in Havana shortly after the Spanish-American War around
1900 or so. Whether it was invented by one of Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders, another American
soldier, or a Cuban bartender, it is a fact that “Cuba Libre” translates to “Free Cuba” and celebrates the
Caribbean island’s independence from Spain.
Tequila Sunrise
This mixture of tequila, crème de cassis, lime juice and club soda and garnished with fruit has fallen out
of popularity in many cocktail bars in recent years, but made its mark on popular culture both as the
title of a 1973 song by The Eagles and a 1988 film starring Mel Gibson and Michelle Pfeiffer. Whether it
was created at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in the ‘30s or at a south-of-the-border Mexican resort during
Prohibition, the mixture of colors in a tall glass evokes an actual desert sunrise for many. Or maybe it
just looks like a sunrise after imbibing a few.
Old-Fashioned
This cocktail is as old as it gets. The earliest written reference of the term ‘cocktail’ comes from the 1806
edition of a newspaper titled, The Balance & Columbian Repository. It defined a cocktail as:
“stimulating” liquor, spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters. In the 1870s and 1880s, bartenders
began to experiment with new ingredients. Those who enjoyed the traditional cocktail ordered the “old
fashioned whiskey/ brandy cocktail” and this is how the Old Fashioned got its name.
The Manhattan
he venerable Manhattan, a blend of whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters, is another cocktail that
scores of people claimed to have invented. It likely dates back to the New York bar scene of the 1860s,
but there are also some more intriguing (though almost certainly too good to be true) tales about its
origins. According to one of these legends, Jennie Churchill threw a party at the Manhattan Club in 1874
to celebrate Samuel J. Tilden's victory in New York's gubernatorial election. An enterprising bartender
created a new cocktail for the event, which he dubbed the Manhattan in the club's honor. Both of these
characters would go on to bigger things. Churchill soon gave birth to a son, Winston, and Tilden made a
presidential run in 1876. (Although Tilden won the popular vote, he lost out to his Republican opponent,
Rutherford B. Hayes. At least the cocktail saved Tilden from obscurity.)

3. Rob Roy
Finally, a cocktail named after somebody, or at least a play about somebody. Rob Roy the person was
Robert Roy MacGregor, a Scottish folk hero of the early 18th century (think Robin Hood with a brogue).
Then in 1894, an operetta based on MacGregor’s life debuted in New York and a bartender at the
Waldorf-Astoria concocted the drink, similar to a Manhattan, for opening night. As with many cocktails,
there are various versions, but the basic ingredients are Scotch whisky (naturally!), sweet vermouth, and
a dash of bitters.
THE BELLINI
This delightful wine cocktail, a blend of white peach puree and Prosecco, has a well-established origin.
Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of Venice's beloved Harry's Bar, started mixing up the fruity tipples sometime
between 1934 and 1948. The pink drink reminded him of the color of a saint's toga in a painting by
Italian Renaissance artist Giovanni Bellini, so Cipriani named his concoction in honor of the painter.
THE KIR
This popular French aperitif of crème de cassis and white wine has long been a favorite in France, but it
didn't get its name until after World War II. Felix Kir, the mayor of Dijon from 1945 to 1968, was a huge
fan of the cocktail, and whenever he entertained visiting dignitaries, he'd invariably serve them the
drink. Kir did such a good job pushing the mixture onto his visitors that it eventually became inextricably
linked with his personality, and that's why the cocktail bears his name today.

4. THE DAIQUIRI
If you're an American mine employee stuck working in Cuba, what do you do? In the case of intrepid
engineer Jennings Cox, you start creatively mixing drinks. The mixture of rum, lime, and sugar
supposedly sprang to life in 1905 when Cox and some of his fellow Americans were hanging out in a bar
in Santiago, Cuba. By mixing together these handy ingredients, the Americans found a tasty tipple, and it
eventually worked its way back to the states.
THE NEGRONI
Count Camillo Negroni gets credits for creating this aperitif around 1919. As the story goes, Negroni
really loved to throw back an Americano (Campari, sweet vermouth, and club soda), but he wanted a
little extra zing in his glass. He asked a bartender to replace the club soda with gin to give the mixture
some added kick, and the Negroni was born.
THE BLACK RUSSIAN
Surprisingly, containing vodka is the only thing this cocktail has to do with Russia. Bartender Gustave
Tops created the drink in 1949 or 1950 while working at the Hotel Metropole in Brussels. Tops
supposedly first mixed the combination of Kahlua and vodka for American socialite Perle Mesta, who
was serving as the ambassador to Luxembourg at the time.

5. LONG ISLAND ICED TEA
It might not actually contain tea, but at least the Long Island part of the name is accurate. This spring
break favorite is fairly young as cocktails go; it's only been around for about 32 years. Rosebud Butt, a
bartender at the Oak Beach Inn in Hampton Bays, invented the drink in 1976, so if you ever need to find
a patron saint of terrible hangovers and nights spent falling off of barstools, Rosebud may be your man.
Bloody Mary
The Bloody Mary originated from Harry’s New York Bar in Paris. During the Russian Revolution, Russians
fled to Paris armed with vodka and caviar. At the same time, Harry's bartender, Ferdinand Petiot, was
introduced to canned tomato juice thanks to the numerous American customers who frequented the
bar during the prohibition era. After a year of experimentation, Petiot made a seasoned tomato vodka
drink called “Bucket of Blood” an early form of the Bloody Mary. Petiot then brought the drink to the
King Cole Bar in New York under the name “Red Snapper.”
Margarita
Like most classic cocktails, the Margarita has several stories of origin. Carlos Herrera, the owner of
Rancho La Gloria, a restaurant in Tijuana claims that he invented the drink in 1938 for Marjorie King, a
customer who was allergic to all liquor except tequila. To capture the essence of a tequila shot, Herrera
created the Margarita. A woman named Margarita Sames also claims that she invented the drink for a
dinner party she hosted. Party attendees included The Hilton hotel chain’s founder, Conrad Hilton. Over
time, people have given the classic Margarita their own twist.

6. Mojito
The Mojito is one of Cuba’s oldest cocktails. The drink’s roots can be traced to 1586 when Sir Francis
Drake tried to rob Havana of all its gold. Even though the invasion failed, Richard Drake, an associate of
Sir Francis Drake, created a drink called “El Draque.” This early form of the mojito was made from
aguardiente ( a crude version of rum), sugar, lime, and mint. Even though the story is compelling, others
believe the drink was invented by African slaves who worked in the sugarcane fields of Cuba. The name,
Mojito, comes from the African word mojo, which means a magic charm. Here are some Side Chef
recipes inspired by this charming drink.
Gin and Tonic
Gin was first invented by a doctor in Holland. It was initially used as medicine as it was believed to
improve circulation. Due to its low cost, it gained popularity in the UK. In 1857, when the British
colonized India, the early colonists struggled with malaria. To combat malaria, they drank tonic water
that was heavily infused with quinine, an extract from the South American cinchona tree. This extract
was known to prevent and cure malaria. However, this miracle drink had quite a bitter taste. The
colonists realized that the addition of sugar, ice, citrus, and gin greatly improved the flavor of the tonic
water. This concoction is now known as Gin and Tonic.
Screwdriver
This orange juice and vodka drink was invented by American oil workers in the Persian Gulf. During
work, the workers discreetly added vodka to their orange juice. As they did not have spoons on the job,
they used their screwdrivers to stir the drink, providing the drink with it’s iconic name.
Sumber : https://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2013/11/10-classic-cocktails-and-how-they-got-
their-names.html
http://mentalfloss.com/article/20526/stories-behind-11-famous-cocktails
https://www.sidechef.com/blog/2016/7/7/the-history-of-cocktail-classics