The surprising and scandalous history behind some of your favourite cocktails
Life is full of happy accidents and inspired strokes of genius. If Isaac Newton had decided to sit anywhere else, that falling apple might never have helped humans grasp the concept of gravity. The person who first put peanut butter and chocolate together didn’t know what they were unleashing on the world. And, as it turns out, plenty of the popular tipples of our day have quite the origin story.
Whether you’re wanting to show off on your next date or just looking to impress when serving up a tray of treats, read up on these tall tales involving your favourite cocktails…
The Screwdriver - sneaky workers inspired a classic cocktail
So simple but always so spot on, the Screwdriver’s blend of vodka and orange juice is proof that a classic cocktail doesn’t need to be over-the-top to be on the top of people’s list of favourite drinks.
But how does a drink with two ingredients end up with such a puzzling name? Well, we owe that to some chancing workers in the 1940s. As legend has it, a group of American engineers working in a Turkish oil field used to add splashes of vodka in their orange juice. The genius part? They’d give the drink a stir with their screwdrivers, hence the name.
While they might not always have been hard at work with their actual jobs, they put in the work to bring us a perfect pour.
The Mojito and its ‘medical’ origins
Refreshing, summery and evocative of far-flung Caribbean shores, the Mojito has remained a staple cocktail in bars around the world.
And, if you believe a much-cited urban legend, we owe the minty, tangy treat to Sir Francis Drake. The historic explorer reportedly invented the classic cocktail way back in the 1500s while trying to harness the seeming medical qualities of the various ingredients.
After an epidemic of scurvy broke out aboard his ship, Drake believed that a mix of rum, mint leaves, lime and sugar could stave off illness. Older and wiser, we know this isn’t sound medical advice today, but his ill-advised medicine turned out to be the foundation for an all-time classic cocktail.
Try a Mango and Pineapple Mojito
The Mojito has come a long way since those early days of Francis Drake, so why not try a tropical twist on the classic. You’ll need:
60ml white rum
60ml sparkling water
25ml lime juice
20ml sugar syrup
Approx one cup of pineapple chunks
Approx one cup of chopped mango chunks
Two lime wedges
Between 5 and 10 mint leaves
To make:
Muddle the lime juice, mint, mango, pineapple and sugar syrup in a highball glass
Add crushed ice so the glass is around three-quarters full
Measure and pour in your rum
Top with soda water and stir gently
Optional - garnish with any leftover mint leaves and pieces of fruit.
The Margarita - what’s in a name?
One of the best tequila cocktails, the Margarita is a mainstay in cocktail bars around the world. Whether yours is served spicy, fruity or frozen, it’s helped bring tequila to the masses. But the salty, spicy drink might be proof that, sometimes, an accident is just luck in disguise.
The urban legend of the Margarita’s discovery has it that a bartender in Tijuana, Mexico, messed up when trying to make a different drink. There is an older cocktail called the Daisy which is a mix of brandy, triple sec, and lemon juice. As he was whipping up a Daisy, he is said to have grabbed the tequila instead of the brandy, creating a new world of flavour that was an instant hit at the bar.
As for how the Margarita got its name? Margarita is the Spanish word for Daisy!
The Tom Collins - a practical joke that’s kept us all in good spirits?
A tall drink with a tall tale behind it, the Tom Collins has something of an amusing origin story. According to several sources, the Tom Collins originated from a joke told in New York in the 1870s.
‘Tom Collins’ was an invented figure. Friends begun spreading scandalous tales of this chap causing all sorts of mayhem and mischief, slandering people’s reputations or misbehaving all over. So, as legend has it, people duped by this prank would walk into bars frequented by the miscreant and demand to meet this notorious ‘Tom Collins.’ Bartenders wised up to this, and would serve up the highball.
A less colourful origin story, however, implies that the drink dates back to the 1860s, having been created by the head waiter at Limmer’s Old House in Mayfair.
Negroni Sbagliato - when going wrong turns out right
Perhaps lesser-known before 2022, this twist on the Negroni unexpectedly became the most in-demand drink after House of the Dragon star Emma D’Arcy made it go viral during an interview.
The Negroni Sbagliato was a mistake - and the proof of this is in its very name. Sbagliato means ‘wrong’ in Italian, so it’s quite literally a ‘wrong Negroni’. And why the name? Because, legend has it, at the famed Basso Bar in Milan in the 1950s, bartender Mirko Stocchetti mistakenly reached for the Prosecco instead of the gin bottle when whipping up a classic Negroni.
The Moscow Mule - try, try and try again until you succeed
The Moscow Mule - a beguiling blend of zingy lime, spicy ginger and crisp, clear vodka - is living proof of not giving up. The fiery cocktail has become an all-time classic, but it came together as separate inventors and business-owners were down on their luck and ultimately joined forces.
The story has it that a few different people came together in the making of the Mule - and, surprisingly, none of them have ties to Moscow. The first is Jack Morgan, owner of the Cock ‘n’ Bull bar on Hollywood’s iconic Sunset Boulevard. Jack had brewed a ginger beer that wasn’t exactly flying off the shelves.
Then there’s John G. Martin, a friend of Jack Morgan, who had found himself acquiring the rights to Smirnoff vodka in 1939, a time when Americans were more partial to a stiff whisky or a quick beer. The friends brought their struggling products together, and a final addition to the recipe, Wes Price, a bartender of Cock ‘n’ Bull, added fresh lime juice and ice. A cocktail star was born. But it wasn’t finished growing.
Anyone who loves a Moscow Mule knows that it needs to be served in its proper style - a copper mug. And this is where Sophie Berezinski enters the story. Sophie immigrated to the United States from Russia, and reportedly found herself stuck with thousands of solid copper mugs she’d manufactured with her father. As luck would have it, she entered the Cock’n’Bull bar, around the time the Mule was giddying on up.
The Bar Team
The Bar Team
More from The Bar
