It is impossible to gauge for sure, but cocktails are said to date back to the 16th century, if not earlier. One of the oldest known cocktails is the Mojito which was sipped with satisfaction in Cuba under the name of ‘El Draque’ at least this far back. However it was not until the beginning of the 19th century that the term ‘cocktail’ first appeared in recorded history. The first reference to the drink appeared in an American newspaper the Farmer’s Cabinet in 1803 when a contributor claimed he “Drank a glass of cocktail – excellent for the head.” A few years later in 1806 the cocktail appeared again in the American magazine The Balance which described the drink in simple terms as a “[…] stimulating liquor, comprised of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters.”

It was not until much later in the 19th century that the cocktail grew in popularity so much so that the first cocktail recipe was included in Jerry Thomas’ Bartenders Guide in 1862. This recipe guided one through the process of creating an early incarnation of the Martini and by the beginning of the 20th century this cocktail had become known nationwide. It was during this period that many of today’s most popular cocktails were invented – Tom Collins, The Manhattan, The Pisco Sour to name a few. Though many of these early concoctions were far from the luxurious flavors we are used to today, the mixture for a long time was aimed at masking the taste of harsh alcohol rather than complimenting it.

From the late 19th century through to the 1920s is a period regarded by many as the beginning of the cocktail’s golden age. Following the Martini many other cocktails became widely known and a common fixture in bars throughout the United States and Europe, with new creations appearing all the time. The Singapore Sling and the Sidecar are two notable favorites which emerged in this period.

Throughout the epoch of Prohibition (1920-1933) in the United States, when alcohol became an illegal substance, cocktail consumption consequently dipped yet cocktails were still sold in illicit speakeasies and enjoyed in private cocktail parties with wide popularity. Martini was the most popular cocktail in this period due to the fact that gin was easily accessible. While the liquor in the cocktails during this time diminished these drinks were still readily available thanks to the likes of the notorious Al Capone and his bootlegging empire in Chicago.

Following the repeal of the 18th amendment the popularity of cocktails burgeoned as new cocktails were invented such as the Margarita in 1948. Yet the cocktails popularity subsided slightly during the 1960s and 1970s as wine and marijuana became favored by the youth. But by the 1980s the drink found a resurgence in sales which has continued up till the present day.

While the cocktail has had its ups and downs it has always remained a permanent fixture in the popular conscience thanks to aperitifs consumed with religious regularity in the literature of Ernest Hemingway; James Bond’s partiality for a shaken martini; and the classic scene in Casablanca (1942) when Humphrey Bogart mutters the immortal line “here’s looking at you kid” as he concocts a champagne cocktail for Ingrid Bergman.

Author Bio: Cocktail Zen provides cocktail recipes and tequila drinks to any one with a web connection.

Category: Food and Drinks
Keywords: cocktails, cocktail recipes, tequila drinks, mixed drink recipes