About Mixed Drinks

The history of mixed drinks that came to be known by the all-purpose name cocktail began modestly enough and has reached the point when it almost seems as if a new oddly named cocktail is invented every day. Millions of people walk up to bars to order a drink with names that make sense as well as names that seem to have been invented solely for their shock effect.

History

The history of mixed drinks dates to the 1800s. Back then, mixed drinks were little more than a kind of style of alcohol such as punch or fizz. What separated the mixed drink from other spirits was the combination of a base alcohol with water, bitters and often something sweet. Although the average cocktail today is imbibed in a loud nightclub or bar, the very first mixed drinks were designed as an energy booster to consume in the morning.

Significance

The first genuinely significant mixed drink was the Sazerac, which began showing around New Orleans in the 1860s. The Sazerac was a concoction devised with cognac and absinthe. Cognac was a natural choice for the world's first popular cocktail because it was inside so many homes and bars at the time. The death knell of cognac as the prime base spirit for mixed drinks had to do with a parasitic contamination in the vines of France. Afterward, rye became the primary base.

Theories/Speculation

Most mixed drinks are today identified as cocktails, and the origin of the word cocktail may never be known for certain. One theory posits that cock was the word for the spigot from which alcohol was poured and tail was a term used to describe the very last remnants of the tank. A much better story has to do with a tavern owner named Betsy Flanagan who during the Revolutionary War would use the tail feather of a rooster as a garnish. Thus the term cock-tail.

Features

Some mixed drinks require ice. The importance of adding ice to a mixed drink has more to do with it than merely cooling the alcohol. Ice is used in a mixed drink more for the purpose of adding water than keeping it cold. How much ice or even the type of ice used, such as cubed or crushed, is an important element in creating a new mixed drink or making an existing drink. The larger the ice the longer it takes to dissolve, therefore the larger the glass the more likely it will be to have an abundance of ice. Too much ice in a smaller glass will water down the alcohol to the point when it becomes almost pointless to consume.

Considerations

Every James Bond knows he likes his martini shaken and not stirred. The reason that Mr. Bond probably prefers that particular mixed drink shaken rather than stirred is due to the physics of chilling a drink. Shaking a mixed drink with ice has the effect of making it colder than even vigorous stirring, not to mention the fact that stirring will usually leave unwanted chips of ice. The only time it is recommended to stir rather than shake a mixed drink, in fact, is if the mixed drink is made entirely of alcohol.

Misconceptions

Some people, including bartenders, believe that certain drinks must be served in specific types of glasses. For instance, the mixed drink cocktail known as the martini actually gave rise to a specific shape of glass known as the martini glass. While a martini probably won't taste as good in any other kind of glass purely for psychological reasons, serving a recognized mixed drink in a different and unexpected glass won't hurt the taste and may even create more interest in it. The shape of the glass that mixed drinks are traditionally served in usually has a history based upon necessity at the moment rather than any integral connection between style and taste.

Effects

One of the most recognizable effects of a mixed drink is the garnish. The garnish can be anything from an olive in a martini to a carrot in a bloody Mary. Any fresh garnishes should be cut as close to serving time as possible; if you intend to cut them ahead of time, keep them in the refrigerator overnight. Tradition dictates that garnishes be served in odd numbers. In other words, most drinks will contain one or three olives or onions rather than two.