Clink! Why we're still toasting the G&T
Raise your glass in a toast -- the world's oldest cocktail has just turned 150. The honour goes to the humble gin and tonic, created by British officers in India looking for something to sip during their cigar breaks.
From there, the g&t quickly became a superstar among drinks. By Christmas 1858, it had reached London, where it was the only tipple to be seen quaffing. Faster than you could say 'make mine a double', it went on to conquer the rest of the world as well.
But its reign as cocktail supreme was short lived. In the United States prospectors surging west for the gold rush found enough time between shooting each other and pan-handling for lucre to invent the gin Martini (it was first served by a San Francisco bartender -- at the behest of a patron about to catch the train to Martinez). Soon cocktails were popping up all over the place, even in the rainy west of Ireland. Read on.
Gin and Tonic
Besides adding a little sparkle to lunch-hour in the officers' mess, the G&T served a secondary purpose. Soldiers used the gin to mask the taste of quinine in tonic water, then employed as an anti-malarial medicine (the concentration of quinine in tonic water was far higher than today).
Irish Coffee
As you might expect, the Irish Coffee's connection to Ireland is at best tangental. Yes, this mix of caffeine, whiskey and sugar (topped with cream) was first served in Limerick. Far from being a locals' favourite, however, it was created by barman Joseph Sheridan to banish the sniffles of American tourists arriving at the precursor to Shannon airport. Irish coffee was exported by travel writer Stanton Delaplane, who had the bar tender at his San Francisco local fix one up.
The Mojito
Nobody is entirely certain as to the origins of the mojito. One (unconfirmed) theory is that this blend of rum, mint, lime and sugar was first consumed by sailors eager to conceal the taste of poor quality rum. It's believed the name is a derivation of mojo, a sauce containing garlic, olive, oil and citrus juice.
The Singapore Sling
The ingredient list for the Singapore Sling reads like something from Heston Blumenthal's recipe book: this classic is made from a mixture of gin, cherry brandy and Benedictine, with a dash of bitter and Cointreau and (deep breath) some pineapple. The creator was a bartender at Raffle's Hotel in Singapore named Ngiam Tong Boon.
The Manhattan
That the "King of Cocktails" was created in New York City in the late 19th century is beyond dispute. Past that, though, the trail grows murky. One oft-recounted story has it that the Manhattan, made from a mixture of whiskey, sweet vermouth, bitters and a cherry garnish, had its debut at a meeting of the Manhattan Club circa 1870. According to this account, the drink was created for a dinner party thrown by Lady Randolph Churchill (Winston's mother). But the historical record suggests the tale may be largely puff -- Lady Churchill is thought to have been back in Blighty giving birth to Winston at the time of the shindig in question.
The Bloody Mary
A pimply teenager by cocktail standards, the Bloody Mary is generally accepted to have been created in the 1950s as a hangover cure by the New York socialite George Jessel, a wise-cracking gadfly who fancied himself "Toastmaster General of the United States". The idea came, he claimed, as he slouched over breakfast one morning, nursing the mother of all morning-after headaches. To put a little pep in his stride, he combined tomato juice and vodka and thus gave the world its favourite hangover remedy.
The Martini
James Bond, Winston Churchill and Ernest Hemingway are among those to have publicly declared their love for the Martini. Like the G&T, its origins can be traced to the mid 19th century. The original Martini, made with gin, was created by a bartender in San Francisco, for a favourite customer in search of pick-me-up before he boarded the train to Martinez. By the early 20th century, gin had been replaced by vodka -- the new concoction popularised by millionaire John D Rockefeller. However the Martini only truly became the sophisticate's poison during Prohibition -- this was due to the fact it could be made with gin, one of the easiest spirits to distil.
