#cocktail-history

#cocktail-history

If there's one thing humans have been consistently doing for thousands of years, it's drinking. Whether it was medicinal, religious, or just social, people found reasons to consume alcohol and make mixed beverages. As time passed, trends changed, and technology evolved, so too did our palates and, naturally, our cocktails. We've come a long way from the days of the Ancient Greeks mixing wine and honey or the colonial-era Americans making punches.

Hearing the phrase "blue curaçao" elicits memories of a certain time or maybe even a specific drink. You're probably thinking of the Blue Hawaii, created by bartender Harry Yee in 1957 at the (now Hilton) Hawaiian Village. It was a recipe created for a bartending competition sponsored by the Dutch company Lucas Bols. The ingredient also appeared heavily in the colorful drinks of the 1980s (we see you, Chili's Radical Rita) and layered shooters of the '90s.

Will Thompson isn't terribly impressed with the state of gin these days. When the owner of Sunny's in Miami goes out on the town in search of a Martini, he often faces a bit of a dilemma. "I look at the backbar and there's six gins that I think all taste kinda like shit," he says. He feels there's been a downturn in overall gin quality and proof level.

Asking a bartender to name the most influential craft cocktail bar of all time is a heavy question bordering on unfair.

The shape of the glass you pour your beverage into can impact the way you experience a drink before you take your first sip.