The Mint Julep

Mint Julep

The Mint Julep is a mixed alcoholic drink, or cocktail associated with the Cuisine of the Southern United States and is a featured tradition of the Kentucky Derby.

A mint julep is traditionally made of four ingredients: mint, bourbon, sugar and water. In the use of sugar and mint, it is similar to the mojito.

The drink was probably invented sometime in the 18th Century. U.S. Senator Henry Clay (Whig-Kentucky) introduced the drink to Washington D.C. at the famous Willard Hotel during his residence in the city. The word 'julep' is derived from the Persian 'julab' meaning rose water.

Traditionally, mint juleps were often served in silver or pewter cups, and held only by the bottom and top edges of the cup. This allows frost to form on the outside of the cup, which some consider a sign of gentility. Others merely find it pleasant to look at. http://www.cocktailtimes.com

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The Mojito

The Mojito
3 fresh mint sprigs
2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 1/2 oz light rum
club soda

Mojito is a traditional Cuban cocktail which became popular in the United States during the late 1980s, and has recently seen a resurgence in popularity.
A mojito is traditionally made of five ingredients: spearmint, rum, sugar (traditionally sugar cane juice), lime, and carbonated water. Its combination of sweetness and refreshing citrus and spearmint flavors are intended to mask the potent kick of the rum, and have made this clear cocktail a popular summer drink.
The mojito is currently considered a highly fashionable beverage. Its popularity is evidenced by its prominent role in recent Bacardi advertisements. After the daiquiri (another rum-based cocktail), the mojito was the second favorite drink of the writer Ernest Hemingway.[1]. It is rumored that the origin of the word "mojito" is derived from the diminutive of the word "mojo".

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The Daiquiri

1 ½ oz Rum
2 oz sweet/sour
Add fresh fruit or favored cordial.
Preparation: Pour all over iceBlend on high speed for 5-10 seconds.

The name Daiquirí is also the name of a beach near Santiago, Cuba, and an iron mine in that area. The cocktail was invented about 1905 in a bar named Venus in Santiago, about 23 miles east of the mine, by a group of American mining engineers. Among the engineers present were Jennings Cox, General Manager of the Spanish American Iron Co., J. Francis Linthicum, C. Manning Combs, George W. Pfeiffer, De Berneire Whitaker, C. Merritt Holmes and Proctor O. Persing.

Although stories persist that that Cox invented the drink when he ran out of gin while entertaining American guests, the drink evolved naturally due to the prevalence of lime and sugar.

Originally the drink was served in a tall glass packed with cracked ice. A teaspoon of sugar was poured over the ice and the juice of one or two limes was squeezed over the sugar. Two or three ounces of rum completed the mixture. The glass was then frosted by stirring with a long-handled spoon. Later the Daiquiri evolved to be mixed in a shaker with the same ingredients but with shaved ice. After a thorough shaking, it was poured into a chilled flute glass. An article in the March 14, 1937 edition of the Miami Herald as well as private correspondence of J.F. Linthicum confirm the recipe and early history.

Consumption of the drink remained localized until 1909, when Admiral Lucius W. Johnson, a US Navy medical officer, tried Cox's drink. Johnson subsequently introduced it to the Army and Navy Club in Washington DC, and drinkers of the daiquiri increased over the space of a few decades.

The daiquiri was one of the favorite drinks of writer Ernest Hemingway and president John F. Kennedy

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The Bloody Mary History

2 parts vodka
3 parts tomato juice
Ground salt and pepper
6 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
5 drops Tabasco
1 tsp. celery salt
1 tsp. horseradish
Dash of lemon or lime juice
Dash of orange juice (optional)
May be shaken vigorously or stirred lazily, as desired. Garnish with a celery stalk; a skewer of olives, pickles, carrots, mushrooms, or other vegetables
The origin of the Bloody Mary is somewhat disputed. One claim states that it was originally created by George Jessel around 1939. The New York Herald Tribune (December 2, 1939) printed what is believed to be the first reference to this drink, along with the original recipe: "George Jessel’s newest pick-me-up which is receiving attention from the town’s paragraphers is called a Bloody Mary: half tomato juice, half vodka." Frenchman Fernand Petiot corroborates that George Jessel first created the drink and name, and that he (Petiot) merely added the spices to the plain vodka and tomato juice drink. From the New Yorker Magazine, July 1964:
“I initiated the Bloody Mary of today,” he told us. “George Jessel said he created it, but it was really nothing but vodka and tomato juice when I took it over. I cover the bottom of the shaker with four large dashes of salt, two dashes of black pepper, two dashes of cayenne pepper, and a layer of Worcestershire sauce; I then add a dash of lemon juice and some cracked ice, put in two ounces of vodka and two ounces of thick tomato juice, shake, strain, and pour. We serve a hundred to a hundred and fifty Bloody Marys a day here in the King Cole Room and in the other restaurants and the banquet rooms.”
The epithet "Bloody Mary" is associated with a number of historical and fictional women, most notably Queen Mary I of England (see Bloody Mary (person) for others); however, there is no known connection between the name of the cocktail and any of these people.
The name likely refers to the blood-like color of the cocktail.

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The Margarita

MARGARITA
Cocktail, blend or shake
1 oz Tequila
½ oz Triple Sec
2 oz sweet/sour
Salt rim of glass
Garnish with lime wedge
Just as there are various accounts of the margarita's origins, there are also countless theories on making the perfect margarita, with every bartender claiming to have the definitive recipe. Some add sugar or sugar syrup, some add more tequila, some swear by frozen margaritas, others prefer shaken. Generally a stemmed wide-mouth cocktail glass is used, its rim lightly moistened with a wedge of lime and then dipped briefly in salt to lightly coat it. Then the cocktail is poured in and garnished with a slice of lime.
History
According to one account, the most famous of tequila cocktails, the margarita, was first concocted in 1938 by Danny Herrera, bartender at the Rancho La Gloria bar in Tijuana for aspiring actress Marjorie King. The starlet claimed to be allergic to all liquors except tequila, so Herrera used it to create a new drink for Marjorie and gave it her Spanish name: Margarita.
Another version holds that the margarita was invented on the Fourth of July 1942 in Tommy's Bar in Ciudad Juarez by Pancho Morales, who called it a "daisy," or margarita. Or perhaps you prefer the story that famed Dallas socialite Margarita Sames came up with the cocktail during a Christmas party at her vacation home in Acapulco, serving it to a group of friends that included Tommy Hilton, who introduced to his hotel chain… by:http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com

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The Martini

The History of the Martini

Rocks, build Dash dry vermouth 1 ½ oz Gin Garnish with an olive
Preparation: Shake over ice.
The true origin of the martini is draped in mystery! There are differing arguments as to who was the first to create the Martini. Many who claim or have been purported to have created the first Martini have varying recipes and names; none of which exactly fit the Martini recipe that exists today. While opinions differ, the modern day Dry Martini consists of Gin and a varying amount of dry white Vermouth (season to taste). An olive, a twist, or a cocktail onion are all acceptable as a garnish. The most detailed historical claim begins with a cocktail named the Martinez which was created around 1862. This particular drink of the time called for 4 parts red, sweet Vermouth to 1 part Gin, garnished with a cherry. The first version included aromatic bitters and Old Tom Gin, which was very sweet and incorporated a strong Juniper flavor. The transformation into what is considered a modern Martini happened gradually. First the Old Tom Gin was replaced with London Dry. Orange Bitters took the place of the aromatic bitters. Afficianados began to replace the red Vermouth with a white, dry Vermouth. The proportions of the drink eventually became equal parts and soon the Dry Martini appeared, olive included.If you dont buy that story, perhaps some of these will win your favor. In 1870 at Julio Richelieu's saloon in Martinez, California a small drink was mixed for visiting miner. Julio placed an olive in the glass before handing it to the man, then named it after his town. Martinez, California continues to hold claim as the birth place of the Martini.
Jerry Thomas of San Francisco printed a bartending book in 1887 with a Martinez recipe. It called for one dash of Bitters, two dashes of Maraschino, one wine glass of Vermouth, two jigs of ice and a pony of Old Tom Gin, served with a slice of lemon. There is a story that claims the drink's name came from the Martini and Henry rifle used by the British army in 1871. The hook was that both the rifle and the drink "shared a strong kick." In 1896, Thomas Stewart published Stewart's Fancy Drinks and How to Mix Them. The book contained a recipe for a drink called the "Marquerite" which called for "1 dash orange bitters, 2/3 Plymouth Gin, and 1/3 French Vermouth." 1888, was the magical year that the word Martini was first mentioned. Martini appeared in the "New and Improved Illustrated Bartending Manual."Finally, in 1911 at the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York the head bartender, a gentleman by the name of Martini di Arma di Taggia, mixed half and half London Gin, Noilly Prat Vermouth and orange bitters. He chilled the drink on ice and strained it into a well chilled glass. Many visitors to the Knickerbocker asked for variations of the drink and added the olive.Regardless of the true origin, the quest for the perfect Martini will no doubt continue. Martini bars continue to hit the scene -- and variations of the Martini abound. In the new millenium, it may seem that anything presented in a martini glass is considered to be a Martini. While that may or may not be true, we advise that you enjoy the moment! If it tastes good, it'll taste even better in a martini glass!

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information courtesy of http://www.martiniart.com

The Cosmopolitan

The Cosmopolitan
1/2 oz. Triple sec1 oz. VodkaSplash Cranberry1/2 oz. Lime Juice 1 Lime Wedge

This origins of the Cosmopolitan are somewhat disputed. According to the International Bartenders Association the original recipe is based on Absolut Citron. Most sources credit South Beach, Florida bartender Cheryl Cook with the original creation. In an online interview, Cheryl Cook states she created the drink in 1985 or 1986:“What overwhelmed me was the number of people who ordered Martinis just to be seen with a Martini glass in their hand. It was on this realization that gave me the idea to create a drink that everyone could palate and was visually stunning in that classic glass. This is what the Cosmo was based on.”

Her original recipes called for "Absolut Citron, a splash of Triple Sec, a drop of roses lime and just enough cranberry to make it oh so pretty in pink."The next person involved in the creation of the drink was Toby Cecchini of Manhattan. While working at The Odeon in 1987/1988, Cecchini worked from a poorly described version of Cook's original drink, and developed a slightly different version using Cointreau and fresh-squeezed lime juice. Cecchini's version has become the common standard method for preparing the drink.

An alternate account names the creator as Neal Murray of the Cork & Cleaver steakhouse in Minneapolis in 1975. The Cosmopolitan gained popularity fairly quickly, traveling from Miami to San Francisco, to New York. It really gained in popularity in the 1990s, and was further popularized among young women by its frequent mention on the the television program Sex and the City.

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