Legend has it that a 19th-century New Orleans apothecary made the world’s first cocktail by mixing his bitters with a popular French cognac, Sazerac de Forge et Fils. Now the official cocktail of New Orleans, the recipe evolved to rye whiskey, simple syrup, Herbsaint, and Peychaud’s bitters.
This hair-of-the-dog beer mixture doesn’t have an exact recipe. You’ll need cold cerveza and an ice-filled glass with a salted rim, then improvise with lime, tomato juice, and a bevy of spices and condiments. In Mexico, your bartender might even add chicken bouillon if you’re looking extra faint.
Michelada (left), Singapore sling (right). Photos: Sarah Ross/My Chocolate Therapy (left); Elan Fleisher/Age Fotostock (right)
This year marks the 100th birthday for the tall tipple, which was allegedly first made in its namesake city by combining London dry gin, cherry Heering liqueur, Bénédictine, lime juice, soda, and angostura bitters. You can still order the classic at its birthplace—Singapore’s Raffles Hotel.
In preparation and history, the pisco sour is complex. There’s a century-old dispute between Chile and Peru as to which country invented it (Peru apparently wins). The cocktail calls for lime, simple syrup, pisco, and angostura bitters, but Peru’s version needs an egg white for its frothy top layer.
Often served with fruit, cucumber, mint, and carbonated lemonade, this English drink is a summer staple. In the mid-1800s, London restaurateur James Pimm blended liqueurs, herbs, and quinine with gin, and bottled it as Pimm’s No. 1. By 1900, it was sipped throughout the British Empire.
Pimm’s Cup (left), Kir Royale (right). Photos: Eric Futran/Chefshots/Getty Images (left); Layla Pujol (right)
Named for Frenchman Félix Kir—a priest and WWII resistance fighter who became the mayor of Dijon—this fizzy aperitif surprisingly has a feminine quality. Crème de cassis, a dark, sweet liqueur made from black currants, is poured into a flute and topped with dry champagne.
Appeared in the July 2015 issue as “Shaken And Stirred”.
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