14 Popular Cocktails With Fascinating Origin Stories

From their humble beginnings as simple boozy concoctions, cocktails have been an important part of tippling culture. Some historians say the blueprint for the first cocktail was a tea punch that British sailors learned from people in colonial India during the 17th century. It consisted of spirits, sugar, citrus juice, spices, and tea. Others say it was a medicinal drink from Cuba that featured distilled sugar cane juice. The word cocktail first appeared in print in 1798, and at that time it was generally understood to be a mix of liquor, sugar, water, and sometimes bitters. When ice became readily available in the U.S. in the early 1800s, that's when cocktails really took off.

Today, there are plenty of popular cocktails to choose from including stiff spirit-forward drinks, fruity tropical creations, and bubbly libations that taste as elegant as they look. We all have our preferences, but have you ever stopped to think about where your favorite cocktail came from? Behind many cocktails are fascinating origin stories. Some were inspired by necessity or pivotal moments in history, while others came about thanks to a creative bartender or even a happy accident. If you're interested in the history of cocktail culture, these are the backstories behind 14 classics.

Rusty Nails were all the rage in the 1960s and 1970s. Rumor has it the cocktail was the signature drink of the Rat Pack, a group that included stars like Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra. The potent potion typically features two parts Scotch to one part Drambuie. If you're not familiar with Drambuie, it's a sweet liqueur made with aged Scotch, heather honey, herbs, and spices. The Rusty Nail is traditionally served in a rocks glass over ice and garnished with a lemon or orange peel.

The origins of the Rusty Nail are somewhat murky. Some sources say it was introduced at the British Industries Fair in 1937 where it was called a B.I.F. after the event. Others say it was created in Scotland, which would make sense considering its ingredients are very much Scottish. Yet others say it was invented at a bar in Hawaii. Why it was named the Rusty Nail is also contested. While some speculate that it was because the drink was originally stirred with a rusty nail, the most likely theory is that the dark orange hue of the Scotch and Drambuie mix resembles rust.

The vodka cranberry cocktail is as simple as the name implies — vodka and cranberry juice poured over ice. It's often served in a highball glass and garnished with a slice of lime. The tart and tangy cocktail has been around since the 1940s and has never really gone out of style. It may seem like a no-brainer drink that someone cobbled together with what was on hand, but the backstory of the vodka cranberry is a little more interesting than that. 

In the 1940s, Ocean Spray wanted to boost cranberry juice sales, so it began promoting a cocktail called the Red Devil that featured vodka and cranberry juice. The name never really took off, but people loved the combo. In 1957, Trader Vic's added a vodka-cranberry cocktail called the Rangoon Ruby to its menu. A version called the Bog-Fog also became popular in Miami. In 1965, Ocean Spray decided to rebrand the cocktail and advertised it as the Cape Codder, which is the name it still goes by in Massachusetts today. Most other places you go though, it's simply known by its straightforward name: the vodka cranberry.

When it comes to whiskey cocktails, few have maintained their popularity as long as the Manhattan. This classic cocktail dates back to the late 1800s and consists of whiskey, vermouth, and bitters. Traditional recipes call for the concoction to be shaken with ice and then strained into a cocktail glass. Many people garnish it with a lemon peel or a maraschino cherry. As the name suggests, it was created in Manhattan, New York. However, pinpointing the exact origin is a bit tricky.

One of the biggest myths about the Manhattan cocktail is that it was created at the Manhattan Club for Winston Churchill's mother in December of 1874. Historians point out that this simply can't be true though, considering Lady Randolph Churchill was in England that month, having given birth to Winston one month prior. According to Difford's Guide, the most compelling evidence comes from a 1932 book titled "Valentine's Manual of New York" that stated the cocktail was created by a man named Black in the 1860s. Many believe that man was George Black, who owned a bar named the Manhattan Inn and likely named the cocktail after his establishment.

The 1980s were all about big, bold flavors and flashy fun, so it's not surprising that one of the most popular cocktails of the decade was Sex on the Beach. It even made an appearance in the 1988 blockbuster film "Cocktail." Fruity and flamboyant, the tropical-inspired cocktail features vodka, peach schnapps, cranberry juice, orange juice, and sometimes grenadine syrup. It's often served in a highball glass over ice and garnished with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry. Don't be surprised if it also comes with a paper umbrella.

The most commonly told tale about the birth of the Sex on the Beach is that a Florida bartender named Ted Pizio created it in 1987. Legend has it that Pizio created the cocktail as part of a competition to sell the most peach schnapps. He named his concoction after the two things that spring breakers in Florida want most — sex and the beach. Although many sources point out that the cocktail was already in bartending guides as early as 1982, the story is certainly catchy, much like the drink's cheeky name and vibrant flavors.

Bittersweet and packing a boozy punch, the Negroni has been a beloved cocktail for over 100 years. As with many classic cocktails though, its true origins are hotly debated. The most popular story is that it was created at Caffé Casoni in Florence, Italy, in 1919 when Count Camillo Negroni asked the bartender to kick his Americano cocktail up a notch by adding gin instead of soda. The Negroni family disputes this though and says it was actually General Pascal Olivier de Negroni who invented the drink in the late 1800s.

Regardless of where, when, and how the Negroni was created, it became a huge hit for its smooth, sophisticated flavors that are sweet, herbaceous, and fruity. A classic recipe includes equal parts Campari, sweet vermouth, and gin. It's often served on ice with a lemon peel or a slice of orange. There are also countless variations, like the Negroni Sbagliato with sparkling wine instead of gin. You can also swap the gin for tequila, mezcal, or rye whiskey. If you want something a bit lighter, you can try the drink that supposedly inspired the Negroni — an Americano with Campari, sweet vermouth, and soda.

The Tom Collins may be the only cocktail that's named after a practical joke. Back in 1874, New York City was awash with rumors about a nefarious character named Tom Collins who would sit in bars and trash-talk people. When word would get back to the people he was slagging, they would set off to bars searching for him, only to find that he had vanished. The truth is, he never existed at all. It was all part of the Tom Collins Hoax of 1874. In honor of the hoax, a savvy bartender named a cocktail after the mythical figure.

The first printed recipe for the Tom Collins cocktail appeared in "The Bartender's Guide" by Jerry Thomas in 1876. It featured gin, lemon juice, sugar syrup, and soda served in a tall glass. Refreshing and tart with a herbal kick, the drink was quick to take off in the United States. By many accounts though, the cocktail is a copycat of a gin punch that a waiter named John Collins created at Limmer's Hotel in London. Fun fact: the tall, narrow Collins glass was designed to accommodate fizzy Collins-style drinks.

With its fresh muddled mint, lime, rum, and soda water, a mojito is the ultimate refreshment on a hot day. This Cuban cocktail has roots that go back to 1586, which makes it one of the world's oldest cocktails. That year, Sir Francis Drake arrived on the shores of Cuba intent on plundering Havana. His mission was unsuccessful, and some legends say that a drink called the Draque was created to celebrate his failure. Likely, the drink was already well-known as a local medicinal remedy consisting of aguardiente (sugar cane alcohol), lime juice, sugar cane juice, and mint.  

When Bacardi burst on the scene in the late 1800s, rum became the star spirit in this mint-infused drink, and soda water made its way into the mix, too. The name also changed to the mojito, although there is some confusion over where it came from. Some say it came from the Spanish word "mojadito," meaning " a little wet." Others say it came from the African word "mojo," which means "to place a spell." Either way, the drink would go on to become one of Cuba's most iconic cocktails and a beloved refresher worldwide.

While many classic cocktails have stayed true to their original iterations, the French 75 has changed numerous times since its first appearance during the First World War. Most people attribute the cocktail's creation to bartender Harry Tépé of Henry's Bar in Paris. His original concoction — as printed in the Washington Herald in 1915 — consisted of gin, applejack, lemon juice, and grenadine. It was named the Soixante Quinze after the powerful French 75 mm field gun that inspired hope and pride among the Allies in World War I. 

In the years following 1915, numerous recipes were printed for similar cocktails but with slight twists to the ingredients and name. For example, Difford's Guide states that a 1926 recipe for the "75" Cocktail featured gin, Calvados, grenadine, and absinthe. In 1927, it appeared as the French 75 with a mix of gin, lemon juice, sugar, and champagne and was served in a Collins glass with ice. That formula is the one that is most commonly used today, although the cocktail is now typically served in a champagne flute sans ice.

The Old Fashioned cocktail is and always has been an exercise in simplicity. It features just three ingredients: whiskey (usually bourbon or rye), sugar, and bitters. It's typically served in a rocks glass, which is also called an old-fashioned glass. If you want to embellish it a bit, you can add a twist of orange peel or a cherry. Some recipes suggest muddling fruit like orange, lemon, and cherries and shaking that up with the bourbon, sugar, and bitters. However, purists will tell you that goes against everything the Old Fashioned stands for.

The origins of the Old Fashioned can be found in the whiskey cocktails that were popular in the early 1800s. These simple concoctions usually included just whiskey, sugar, and bitters served neat. By the mid-1800s, bartenders were experimenting with different additions like flavored syrups and liqueurs like Chartreuse. Not everyone was a fan of the new-fangled cocktails though, so there was a push for straightforward cocktails made the "old-fashioned" way. That original formula has endured with just one upgrade that many would agree is an absolute game-changer: ice.

Ask anyone what the best mixers for vodka are, and orange juice will probably be at the top of the list. That's all you need to create a Screwdriver, one of the simplest mixed drinks you can make. It's easy to see why it's such a popular cocktail. There are no complicated ratios to figure out, no shaking needed, and no fancy glassware required. Plus, the sweetness of the juice tempers the bitterness of the vodka. You wouldn't think the Screwdriver would have an intriguing origin story, but there were actually some interesting events that led to its creation.

Most accounts place the creation of the Screwdriver around the time of World War II. Some say that American military personnel encountered vodka overseas and added orange juice to make the spirit more palatable. Others say that Americans who worked in oil fields in the Middle East would spike their orange juice with vodka and use screwdrivers to stir the drinks, hence the name. The first Smirnoff vodka distillery opened in the States in 1934, and although it took time for the spirit to gain traction, it eventually caught on and spurred the popularity of easy-to-mix drinks like the Screwdriver.

It's hard to imagine a boozy brunch without a Bloody Mary or three. Recipes vary considerably but some of the most common ingredients include vodka, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, Tabasco, lemon juice, and celery salt. Garnishes can include everything from celery stalks to pickled beans, olives, bacon, and shrimp skewers. It's an American classic, but depending on which story you believe, it may have actually been created in France.

One origin story for the Bloody Mary states that it was created at Harry's Bar in Paris by a bartender named Fernand Petiot in the 1920s. Petiot would later go on to work at the King Cole Bar in the St. Regis Hotel in New York, where he claimed he popularized the drink. The competing story states that actor George Jessel invented the cocktail at a bar in Palm Beach when he asked the bartender for a hangover helper drink. He claimed that he accidentally spilled the vodka-tomato drink on socialite Mary Brown Walburton's white dress and she jokingly told him he could call her Bloody Mary. Whichever story you believe, there's no disputing that this savory elixir has earned its place as a brunch staple and a hangover cure.

You don't often come across cocktails created with health in mind, but that's how the gimlet came to be. In the 1800s, scurvy was a major problem on British naval ships. The only thing that seemed to ward off the deadly disease at that time was citrus, so sailors were given daily rations of lime juice. Legend has it that a naval doctor named Sir Thomas Gimlette thought of a genius way to make the bitter lime juice more appealing — mix it with gin. Many say he was the namesake of the cocktail, although it could also have been named after a tool called a gimlet that was used to bore holes.

In the early days, the gimlet featured one part lime juice to one part gin. After Lauchlan Rose created the world's first fruit concentrate in 1867, Rose's Lime Cordial became a key ingredient in the gimlet. Today's version of the gimlet is slightly more refined than the original. It typically features two parts gin to one part lime cordial and simple syrup for a touch of sweetness. You can also replace the gin with vodka or swap out the lime cordial for another flavor.

The margarita is Mexico's most famous cocktail, but its appeal stretches far beyond its borders. A classic margarita features a refreshing mix of tequila, orange liqueur, and lime juice shaken with ice and strained into a glass rimmed with salt. It can also be served on the rocks or blended with ice for a slushy, frozen version. We know that tequila is well and truly a Mexican creation, but the origin of the margarita is a bit more complicated, with multiple people vying for credit.

The most likely scenario is that the margarita was created as a variation of a Daisy cocktail. Popular in the early 20th century, these sour cocktails typically include a spirit, citrus juice, and a sweet liqueur. Margarita means "daisy" in Spanish, so this isn't a far stretch. Who concocted the margarita as we know it today and coined the name is a point of contention though. Countless people claim they created the drink and named it based on everything from the flower to their own name, or a spouse. We'll probably never know the real answer, but we do know that the margarita has been wildly popular since at least the 1930s.

Mention mint juleps and most people's minds jump to the Kentucky Derby. It's been the official drink of the historic horse racing event since 1939, but the cocktail dates back much further than that. And while many would say it's a quintessential Southern drink, its origins actually lie in the Middle East. It comes from a health tonic called gulab that was made with rose petals and water. In the Mediterranean, it was made with mint instead of rose petals, and that's the form it took when it arrived in America.

The first American juleps date back to the 1700s and they were made with a wide range of spirits including rum, brandy, and cognac. They were typically sweetened with honey and got their invigorating flavor from muddled mint. In the 19th century, mint juleps were a popular morning drink used to alleviate pain and revive the spirit. By the 20th century, bourbon became the spirit of choice and the mint julep we know today was born. Although there are many variations, the classic version includes crushed ice, mint leaves, sugar, and a healthy slug of bourbon.