Cocktails are back in vogue in the bars, restaurants and suburban homes of the British Isles. Gin and tonic, rum and coke, whisky and water all may do the job, but in their dull predictability they're being pushed aside in favour of the effervescent colour of the cocktail, with its alluring mix of sophistication, exoticism, and sheer tastiness.
The Sour family is a mixed bunch, from the laird, whisky sour, to the city girl, Cosmopolitan, with all sorts in between. The Sour family was first described in the 1862 book, How to Mix Drinks, by Jerry Thomas. Since then it’s come a long way but the basic premise …
If there was ever an evocative name, then it must be Tequila Sunrise. Can’t you just imagine the reds and golds of the Mexican landscape as the sun creeps up over the horizon? The original drink that was created by a bartender at the luxurious Arizona Biltmore Resort, some time …
For Long Island Iced Tea you need: 1 part light rum 1 part vodka 1 part gin 1 part tequila 1 part Cointreau Coca Cola Fill a highball glass with ice and pour in the first 5 ingredients. Top up with coke and garnish with a slice of lemon or …
The custom of mixing lime with rum for a cooling drink on a hot Cuban day has been around a long time. It’s even been suggested that – like many drinks – its original purpose was medicinal. But the Cubans were enjoying it long before Jennings Cox, a mining engineer …
Cuba Libre! Free Cuba! Allegedly invented in Cuba in 1900, this cocktail of rum and coke was used to toast the newly independent island. The drink soon spread throughout the American South and further, although, according to H.L. Mencken, it sometimes appeared in a different guise: “… South Carolina coined …
‘I’d rather swallow a screwdriver!’ That’s – allegedly – how the classic cocktail of vodka and orange juice was greeted when a bartender asked a customer for his opinion of the latest drink that he had created. Another theory is that it got its name from the habit of oil-rig …
Banned! In 2004 a company in Derbyshire was banned from giving their drinks products suggestive names. Their argument that they were simply using the names of cocktails already in existence was thrown out. The report doesn’t say whether they invited the judge to enjoy sex on the beach or to …
Every decade has its spin doctors. Jack Morgan ran a bar in Hollywood in the 1940s. Alongside it, he was struggling to make a success of his Cock’n’Bull ginger beer franchise. Enter the Spin Doctor, John Martin. Between them they invented the Moscow Mule, which mixed Smirnoff vodka with ginger …
Hangover cures, a traditional Christmas drink, a summer refresher and something a bit different have all found their way onto this page! Egg Nog Traditionally served at Christmas 1 egg 2 tablespoons caster sugar ½ pt milk ½ teaspoon vanilla extract Beat the egg yolk with the sugar, vanilla and …
Some tangy cocktails for reckless redheaded tee-totallers! They all require a good swig of ginger ale. Shirley Temple This cocktail is said to have been invented for the child star who was too young to partake of the more alcoholic drinks enjoyed at parties by her co-stars. Ginger ale Grenadine …
