20 best variations on the Last Word cocktail
Both the Last Word's name and the simplicity of its traditionally equal parts recipe lend themselves to adaptation. It is also very much a bartenders'
Alexander cocktails
The original Alexander cocktail consisted of equal parts gin, crème de cacao liqueur and cream. Over time, other spirits were substituted for the gin
Aviation Cocktail
The Aviation is a classic gin-based cocktail that is shaken and served straight-up. It is basically a Gin Sour but with lemon juice sourness balanced by
Blazer cocktails
This spectacular serve involves setting a spirit (usually whiskey or brandy) alight and then pouring the flaming liquid between two silver-plated tankards
Bloody Mary cocktails - how to make & history
Bloody Mary recipes are as personal as those for Martinis. Purists will only use pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt and lemon to spice up tomato
Bobby Burns
Although perhaps not originally named after Robert Burns (1759-1796), the poet, balladeer and Scotland's favourite son, the Bobby Burns is drunk to honour
Bramble cocktail - its inception told by its creator
Found on many bar menus around the world, this contemporary classic cocktail was created in the mid-80s by Dick Bradsell at Fred's Club in Soho, London,
A brief history of cocktails
From early China to laser cocktails via the saloons of the Wild West, mixed drinks have a surprisingly long history. Here's our take on it all.
Bronx cocktail
One of the classic cocktails named after New York's five boroughs, probably more directly after the then newly opened Bronx Zoo. There are numerous variations
Brooklyn Cocktail
Named after the New York borough, the Brooklyn Cocktail was inspired by the already established and popular Manhattan and Bronx cocktails of its neighbouring
Buck's Fizz & Mimosa Cocktails – history & recipes
The Buck's Fizz and Mimosa are very similar cocktails, the Buck's Fizz is made with two-parts champagne to one-part orange juice, while the Mimosa is made
Caipirinhas – styles, flavours & how to make
Pronounced 'Kai-Pur-Een-Ya', this traditional Brazilian cocktail is made by muddling limes with sugar and then adding cachaça and ice. It's a simple rustic
Cobblers
Cobblers are shaken drinks served with straws in a goblet or Collins glass filled with crushed ice and decorated with fruit and a sprig or two of mint
Cocktail categories/families
The world of cocktails comprises numerous different cocktail families, each family having its own surname, distinctive traits, genetics and history. Some
Collins Cocktails
One of the better-known of the Cocktail Families, a Collins is a sour cocktail made using a base spirit (usually gin), lemon juice, sugar, and carbonated
Corpse Reviver cocktails - recipes & history
As the name alludes, The Corpse Reviver is one of a category of 'pick-me-up' cocktails that were 'prescribed' by bar keeps of old to revive those souls
Crusta cocktails
Crustas are drinks containing spirit, lemon juice, sugar and aromatic bitters. They are always served in stemmed glasses with a sugar crust rim and an
Daiquiri history & story of its creation
The Daiquiri cocktail is closely related to the Canchanchara, a 19th-century Cuban blend of aquardiente de caña, lime, honey and water, but the creation
Espresso Martini (aka Vodka Espresso)
Likened to a Vodka & Red Bull for the discerning, the caffeine-loaded Espresso Martini consists of generous shots of vodka and espresso with coffee liqueur.
French 75 cocktail history
The French 75 cocktail celebrates the firepower of the WWI French 75-millimetre field gun. In recent decades, this has become a potent gin-based champagne
French Martini
Raspberry and pineapple laced with vodka. Easy drinking and very fruity.
Godfather cocktail siblings & variations
The Godfather, an enduring classic from the 1970s, is basically a Scotch whisky-based Old Fashioned sweetened with flavoursome liqueur rather than relatively
Highballs
The term highball appears to have emerged during the 1890s with the first known written mention appearing in a play, My Friend From India by Ha Du Souchet
History of the Margarita cocktail
Part of the 'sour' cocktail family, the Margarita traditionally consists of three ingredients: tequila, triple sec orange liqueur and lime juice, often
James Bond's Martini & Duke's Hotel
A Vesper Martini comprises three shots London dry gin, one shot vodka and half a shot dry French wine aperitif. It's James Bond's drink of choice and,
Julep cocktails
Juleps are tall drinks served over crushed ice and based on a spirit, liqueur, wine or fortified wine. They are most often served with fresh mint in julep
Kir and Kir Royale cocktail
Sometimes called the 'Kir Cocktail' but more properly termed 'Kir aperitif' or simply Kir, this drink consists of just two ingredients, crème de cassis
Martini Cocktail And Its Evolution
In its simplest and truest form, a Martini is a mix of gin and vermouth, perhaps with a dash or two of bitters, and garnished with an olive or a twist.
Negroni Cocktail
One of, if not the simplest of classic cocktails has formed the base for so many contemporary variations.
Origins of the word cocktail
The Oxford English Dictionary affirms the original use of 'cocktail' was to describe a horse with a tail like a cock's - that is to say, a docked tail,
Pink Gin cocktail
The Pink Gin cocktail is so named due to Angostura Aromatic Bitters giving the main ingredient, gin, a pink tinge. Originally gin at room temperature was
Pisco Punch
Described by Rudyard Kipling as being Compounded of the shavings of cherub's wings, the Pisco Punch was created in or en route to San Francisco. The cocktail
Pisco Sour
The national drink of both Peru and Chile and both countries lay claim to the origins of the Pisco Sour and indeed the spirit it is made from – something
Piña Colada history
The name 'Piña Colada' directly translates from Spanish as 'strained pineapple', a reference to the freshly pressed and strained pineapple juice that
Punch & Punches
Punch is widely considered to be the earliest cocktail – the drink all other cocktails emanate from. A great punch is a fine balance between spirit,
Slow Screw family of cocktails
Back in the 1970s and 80s, sexual innuendo-named cocktails were at their height of popularity. Today, in the Covid-hit Twenties, at a time when the cocktail
Sour cocktails
While the Brandy Sour may once have dominated the Sour family of cocktails, it is the Whiskey Sour that thrived during the Prohibition-era and proved the
Summer Fruit Cups & Pimm's
Fruit cups, quintessentially English summertime thirst-quenching drinks, were invented by the Victorians and were originally a mixture of fruit, liqueurs
Swizzles & How to swizzle a cocktail
Swizzles are sour style drinks with a similar composition to a punch that, distinctively, must be churned with a swizzle stick. They are usually served
Ti’ Punch
Ti' Punch is the national cocktail of the French islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe where Ti is pronounced Tee and crucially is made from rhum agricole.
When's a Martini not a Martini
Neo-Martinis, Altern'atinis and Millennium Martinis are all terms that emerged in the 1990s as the cocktail renaissance started to take hold and any cocktail
White Russian Cocktail
One of the best-known cocktails of the modern era, the White Russian, consists of vodka and coffee liqueur served on the rocks, sipped over a silky layer
