Knockout cocktails of today trace back to punch
COCKTAIL FACTS
Cocktails were originally inspired by 18th century British punches – big bowls of spirits mixed with fruit juice and spices.
It’s unclear who was responsible for creating the first cocktails but, whoever it was, they’ll forever be the toast of connoisseurs the world over.
Ironically, cocktails became especially popular when alcohol was prohibited in the United States from 1920 to 1933.
Speakeasy drinking clubs began to sell inferior spirits because they were easier to produce illicitly. Then, they started to add honey, fruit juice, and other flavourings to mask the foul taste, enabling customers to drink faster, which was crucial in case of a raid.
The Industrial Age made a major contribution to the evolution of cocktails with the production of ice.
In the 1990s, a group of bartenders at New York’s famous Rainbow Room reintroduced classic cocktail culture and followed strict quality standards.
Today, there is a substantive cocktail culture in the art of mixology, which draws on traditional cocktails, but uses novel ingredients and complex flavours.
COCKTAIL TRIVIA
Ernest Hemingway had a recipe. Author of For Whom the Bell Tolls and A Farewell to Arms, Hemingway invented his cocktail named‘Absinthe and Champagne’or ‘Death in The Afternoon.’
THERE’S ONE WITH A TOE
The Sourtoe cocktail, which can be found in Yukon, Canada, reputably has a real human toe in it.
STIRRED, NOT SHAKEN
Despite the preference of 007 James Bond, Martini cocktails are traditionally stirred, not shaken.
OLD CHINESE PROVERB
Drink a cocktail, gain Chinese wisdom. Cocktail umbrellas traditionally contain hidden scrolls of Chinese newspapers, which can be read like fortune cookies.
A DRINK OF A DRUG?
Some cocktails can help heal or ease certain diseases, including the Atomic cocktail, which is said to cure minor fevers, headaches, and depression.
Trivia from National ToDay