A history of drinks & cocktails

An early written reference to punch

A letter from India records punch, a precursor to many mixed drinks.

Flips in colonial taverns

Beer, rum and sweeteners appear in heated tavern drinks around this period.

• Porto Flip →

Artificial carbonation

Carbonated water opens a path to long mixed drinks.

• Gin Fizz →

Gordon’s is founded

Alexander Gordon establishes the gin brand.

• Gordon’s →
• Gin →

Carpano’s Turin vermouth

Turin commemorates Carpano’s aromatised wine, a landmark in aperitif culture.

• Manhattan →

“Cock-tail” in a London newspaper

The Morning Post and Gazetteer uses the drink term; whether it matches the 1806 definition is unclear.

An early American newspaper mention

The Farmer’s Cabinet mentions a cocktail without specifying a recipe.

Tudor ships ice to the Caribbean

Frederic Tudor ships New England ice to Martinique, an early step toward a commercial ice trade.

The Balance mentions cocktails

A satirical election account prompts a reader’s question about the word.

The first known published definition

The Balance and Columbian Repository defines a cocktail using spirits, sugar, water and bitters. This is a definition, not the first appearance of the word.

• Old Fashioned →

Angostura bitters are developed

Johann Siegert develops aromatic bitters in Venezuela.

• Old Fashioned →
• Manhattan →

Stein’s continuous still

Robert Stein’s still precedes Coffey’s refinements to continuous distillation.

• Whiskey →

Tanqueray is founded

Charles Tanqueray begins his gin business in London.

• Tanqueray →

The Sazerac takes shape

New Orleans develops the Sazerac tradition; the precise creation date remains uncertain.

• Sazerac →

Campari is created

Gaspare Campari creates his red bitter aperitif.

• Americano →
• Negroni →

An early bar in Yokohama

An encyclopedic account identifies the Yokohama Hotel’s foreign-settlement bar as an early Japanese example.

Jerry Thomas publishes his guide

How to Mix Drinks documents cocktails and other mixed-drink families.

Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks

William Terrington records British cups and other compounded drinks.

Harry Johnson’s manual

The surviving 1882 manual combines recipes with practical bar management.

The Manhattan in a newspaper

The Olean Democrat mentions a whiskey, vermouth and bitters drink under the Manhattan name. This records its existence, not its invention.

• Manhattan →

Martinez in Byron’s guide

The Modern Bartender records the Martinez as a Manhattan variation.

• Martinez →

Thomas’s posthumous edition

The Bar-Tender’s Guide edition preserves late nineteenth-century recipes. It must not be mistaken for the 1862 edition.

• The Bar-Tender's Guide →

A Martini recipe in Johnson’s manual

The named Martini appears in Johnson’s 1888 manual; its origins remain debated.

• Martini →

Henry Ramos’s New Orleans fizz

Henry Charles Ramos is credited with creating the drink at the Imperial Cabinet Saloon in New Orleans.

• Ramos Gin Fizz →

The Daiquiri’s Cuban origin story

Jennings Cox is credited with a Daiquiri around this period; accounts include 1896 and other dates.

• Daiquiri →
• Rum →

Ensslin records the Aviation

Recipes for Mixed Drinks records the Aviation with crème de violette.

• Aviation →

The Negroni’s Florence story

The familiar Camillo Negroni story places the drink in Florence in 1919. Early documentary evidence is limited.

• Negroni →

US national Prohibition begins

National restrictions reshape the bar trade and foster speakeasies. They do not prohibit every form of alcohol consumption.

The Sidecar appears in print

Vermeire and MacElhone publish Sidecar recipes; publication is better established than the invention story.

• Sidecar →

Construction starts at Yamazaki

Shinjiro Torii begins building Japan’s first malt whisky distillery.

• Whiskey →

Hotel New Grand opens in Yokohama

The hotel opens after the Great Kantō Earthquake; its surviving bar culture is part of Yokohama’s hotel tradition.

Japan’s bartenders organize

The association is established in Tokyo to develop drinks culture and professional skills.

The Savoy Cocktail Book

Harry Craddock’s book becomes a major reference for classic cocktails.

• The Savoy Cocktail Book →

Don the Beachcomber and tiki

Hollywood’s tropical bar culture helps make elaborate rum drinks popular.

• Zombie →
• Rum →

Prohibition is repealed

Ratification of Amendment 21 repeals national constitutional Prohibition; local restrictions remain possible.

The Moscow Mule’s origin stories

Accounts place its creation in 1941–1946; the often-told 1941 story is not a settled date.

• Moscow Mule →
• Vodka →

Trader Vic’s Mai Tai

Trader Vic’s attributes its Mai Tai to Victor Bergeron in 1944. Competing origin claims exist.

• Mai Tai →

The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks

David Embury publishes an influential study of cocktail structure and balance.

The IBA is founded

Seven national guilds establish the IBA in Torquay, England.

Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista

The San Francisco café recreates Irish Coffee, helping popularize it in the US. This is not its invention date.

• Irish Coffee →

Casino Royale introduces the Vesper

Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel brings a named gin-and-vodka cocktail to readers.

• Vesper →

The Caribe Hilton’s Piña Colada claim

The hotel dates Ramón Marrero’s recipe to 1954; other dates and creators are also claimed.

• Piña Colada →

Japan joins the IBA

Japan’s bartenders association becomes the first Asian member.

Bradsell’s Vodka Espresso

Dick Bradsell’s coffee drink develops into the Espresso Martini; accounts differ on the venue and timing.

• Espresso Martini →

Bradsell creates the Bramble

Bradsell recalls creating it at Fred’s Club in the mid-1980s; the precise year is uncertain.

• Bramble →

DeGroff at the Rainbow Room

Dale DeGroff’s fresh ingredients and classic recipes influence the cocktail revival.

Milk & Honey opens

Sasha Petraske opens the New York bar, a landmark in the modern craft movement.

• Milk & Honey, NYC →

Tales of the Cocktail begins

The New Orleans gathering grows into an international meeting place for the drinks trade.

Gin Basil Smash is shared online

Jörg Meyer posts his creation online, illustrating how a new cocktail can travel internationally.

• Gin Basil Smash →

The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails

Wondrich and Rothbaum’s reference work brings together global drinks history.