Eight iconic co*cktails invented in the USA - EnVols (2024)

Sazerac, the original

In 1838, pharmacist Antoine Peychaud tempered the bitterness of his medicinal remedy by adding a little sugar, water and a few drops of his favourite cognac, Sazerac de Forge & Fils. He served his concoction in an eggcup – a coquetier – and, in the mouths of English speakers, the word morphed into “co*cktail”. Over time, American rye whiskey replaced the cognac, but the Sazerac remained the official co*cktail of New Orleans. So much so that the city has a museum dedicated to it!
Ingredients: whiskey, absinthe, Peychaud’s Bitters, lemon zest; no ice cubes

Old Fashioned, classic of classics

This co*cktail dates back to 19th-century Kentucky, the birthplace of American whiskey. Don Draper, the irresistible hero of TV’s Mad Men, was rarely to be seen without a glass of it in his hand.
Ingredients: whiskey, sugar soaked in Angostura bitters, soda water, orange peel and a large ice cube

Cosmopolitan, the most girly

Popularised in the 1980s, the Cosmopolitan is still associated with Sex and the City. Popping with its zesty flavour and colour (candy pink), it is served in a wide-rimmed martini glass.
Ingredients: vodka, triple sec or Cointreau, lime and cranberry juice

Daiquiri, totally tropical

Ernest Hemingway and John F. Kennedy’s favourite co*cktail was already in vogue in the 1940s. It has since also evolved into frozen and strawberry versions.
Ingredients: rum, lime juice, cane sugar

Mai Tai, tiki style

A hangover from the 1950s, when Polynesian culture swept through the United States, the Mai Tai is ideally sipped against an island backdrop in a tiki bar.
Ingredients: white and amber rum, triple sec, orgeat syrup, lime juice

Manhattan, quintessentially NYC

This short drink that is mixed with a spoon (quite an art) was created in the 1870s at a banquet given by Winston Churchill’s mother. Marilyn Monroe improvised one in the memorable sleeper train scene at the start of Some Like It Hot.
Ingredients: whiskey, red vermouth, Angostura bitters, maraschino cherry

Moscow Mule, a marketing strategy

Combining vodka and ginger ale was a scheme devised to boost sales of these two new imports to the United States in the 1940s. The success of this co*cktail served in a characteristic copper mug gave rise to various iterations of the original.
Ingredients: vodka, ginger beer, lime juice

Mint Julep, heritage of the American South

The official drink of the Kentucky Derby, the Mint Julep is drunk from a silver tumbler, in a nod to the trophies up for grabs at these horse races. The characters in The Great Gatsby drink it all day long in the heat of the New York summer.
Ingredients: bourbon, cane sugar, fresh mint leaves

Drinking too much alcohol can be detrimental to your health – consume in moderation.