Biggest moments in cocktail history
Throughout the ages, cocktails, and consumers’ attitudes towards them, have undergone radical changes. From the 17th century gin craze, to the 21st century global financial meltdown, here are our biggest moments in cocktail history.
From molecular food science to irresponsible banking – cocktail culture has been moulded by an array of historical momentsWithin the rich tapestry of drinks history, is a dominant thread dedicated to cocktails – arguably the segment of the industry which has seen the most frequent and exciting innovation.
As technology advanced and cultures collided, consumers developed more adventurous tastes in drinks.
Since the 19th century, cocktail pioneers have educated people about how spirits could be mixed with any number of liquids – intriguing the senses and exciting the palate.
While some of our listed moments might seem obvious (indeed, what list charting cocktail history would be complete without the inclusion of a certain martini-drinking suave British spy), others have subtly negated the course of drinking culture for generations to come.
Click through the following pages to see our biggest moments in cocktail history.
Think we’ve missed any obvious choices? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
1689 – William of Orange ascends British throne
The controversial addition of Dutch Prince William of Orange to the British monarchy caused a massive swell in demand for seemingly exotic produce from the Netherlands, resulting in the excitable masses developing a crazed thirst for gin.
While initially a gesture of loyalty to the new King, Britain’s fondness of gin overtook its staple boozy beverage, beer, and then took a more sinister turn.
A lack of distilling regulation and polluted water meant that the nation consumed vast quantities of high abv botanical spirits and engaged in drunken debauchery – prompting Hogarth’s infamous painting, ‘Gin Lane’ and the reputation of gin as the ‘mothers’ ruin’.
The gin craze and the distilling regulations that attempted to restore moral order across the land paved the way for gin to become the premium spirit it is today, as well as a popular base for modern cocktails.
1862 – Jerry Thomas releases A Bar-Tender’s Guide
The original cocktail pioneer Jerry Thomas released his seminal work – A Bar-Tender’s Guide over 150 years ago, altering drinking culture for generations to come.
Considered the ‘father of American mixology’, Thomas was one of the first bartenders to exhibit theatre in his craft and explore the medium of mixed drinks in all its forms.
The first edition of A Bar-tender’s Guide included recipes for cocktails such as the Fizz, Flip, Sour and Punch and was updated several times throughout Thomas’s lifetime.
1920 – Implementation of the eighteenth amendment
With the implementation of the eighteenth amendment, Prohibition became national law in 20s America and a violent war between the ‘wets’ and the ‘drys’ swiftly ensued.
The banning of the manufacturing and sale of alcohol was widely flouted and Moonshine, otherwise known as white whiskey, a clear high-proof home-distilled spirit made from corn, sugar, yeast and water, was illicitly sold in secret juke joints and speakeasies.
Since this spirit was not particularly revered for its palatable notes, 1920s drinkers found that there was a need for a ‘chaser’ – resulting in the creation of the Boilermaker (a beer chaser) and Pickleback (a pickle juice chaser). This then allowed consumers to open up their palates to more interesting and rounded flavours.
1929 – US stock market crash
Following the Wall Street crash in 1929, the US was hurled into a decade of hardship and misery – what we now know as the Great Depression.
While the nation was penniless and still reeling from Prohibition and its eventual repeal, there was a surprising surge in the popularity of cocktails.
During the 1930s, US consumers sought to avoid their bleak realities by enjoying more sophisticated drinks, allowing cocktails to reach a diverse consumer-base.
1964 – Release of Goldfinger
The immortal words ‘shaken, not stirred’ will be forever embedded in western drinking culture.
Mr Bond’s choice cocktail, a vodka martini, became almost as famous as the man himself after a series of prolific ad campaigns throughout the 60s.
While the cocktail was introduced to the Bond books early on by author Ian Fleming – who was said to have discovered the mix at the legendary Duke’s cocktail bar in London – it is the image of Sean Connery in Goldfinger which made the vodka martini reach new heights of fame.
1984 – Ferran Adrià joins El Bulli
Innovation in food science has drastically shaped the historical development of the cocktail – and there has been no greater innovator than Ferran Adria, former head chef of famed three Michelin Star restaurant El Bulli.
The California restaurant’s use of molecular gastronomy shook up the world of food and drink, prompting industry professionals to delve into the biology of taste.
This has resulted in the rise of molecular mixology and the view of many that bartending is a science, as well as an art. These methods are said to create greater varieties of flavour by using ingredients such as atomised sprays and powders.
1988 – Release of Cocktail
This 80s classic perfectly encaptured the mainstream image of the cocktail as the cheesy drink of choice, devoid of sophistication or, indeed, hard liquor.
Drinking culture was on the cusp of change yet again and Cocktail was a fitting homage to the novelty past perception.
As Tom Cruise retired his shakers to the dusty cabinet of drinks history, brands were acknowledging a need to become more premium and high end – a trend that has been continuing ever since.
1998 – Launch of Sex and the City
Not only did the television series bring the cocktail back into fashion, it made the Cosmopolitan a household drink.
As the star of the show, Carrie Bradshaw’s choice cocktail, the Cosmo, hit unprecedented levels of popularity at the same time that the show did.
Consisting of vodka, Cointreau, lime juice and a dash of cranberry juice, the drink became so popular that it came to represent the modern urban woman in the 1990s.
2007 – Premier of Mad Men
The launch of this already iconic US TV show was a catalyst for the global resurgence in popularity of ‘retro’ or ‘vintage’ cocktails.
These mixes are an immovable presence in the glamorous lives of the show’s characters, prompting fans to order drinks such as the Old Fashioned and Gimlet for themselves.
2008 – Lehman Brothers files for bankruptcy
The Global financial crisis which followed the crash of the Lehman Brothers doesn’t seem like an obvious choice for one of the biggest moments in cocktail history.
However, many commentators have claimed that the double-dip recession in Britain has further fueled the nation’s rapacious thirst for ‘vintage’ and ‘retro’ mixes.
While the country’s finances still look bleak, consumers are looking to escape reality. It is thought that since ‘vintage’ cocktails hark back to seemingly simpler time, people can find solace in these mixes.
