Cocktails Flashcards
What is a cocktail?
An alcoholic mixed drink. Either a single spirit or a combination of spirits, mixed with other ingredients such as juices, flavored syrups, tonic water, shrubs, bitters, etc.
Origins of the word ‘cocktail’?
First written mention of “cocktail” as a beverage appeared in The Farmers Cabinet, 1803 in the US. The first definition appeared three years later in The Balance and Columbian Repository, 1806 in Hudson, NY.
Why did liquor based cocktails become more popular between 1920-1933?
Wine and beer were less available due to the Prohibition in the United States; accessibility.
What is a highball?
When a mixed drink contains only a distilled spirit and a mixer, such as a soda or a fruit juice.
What is a duo?
When a mixed drink contains only a distilled spirit and a liqueur.
What is a trio?
When a mixed drink contains a distilled spirit, a liqueur and a cream or cream based liqueur.
What is the first publication of a bartenders ‘guide’ or book of recipes?
How to Mix Drinks or The Bon Vivant’s Companion by “Professor” Jerry Thomas (1862).
Where does the term “Old Fashioned” come from?
It originated as a term used by late 19th-century bar patrons to distinguish cocktails made the “old-fashioned” way from newer, more complex cocktails.
When was the first cocktail party thrown?
Allegedly in May 1917 by Julius S. Walsh Jr of St. Louis, Missouri.
Why was there a shift from whiskey to gin during the Prohibition?
Gin does not require any aging so it is easier to produce illicitly.
Why were sweet cocktails common during the Prohibition and what was used to make them sweet?
Sweet cocktails were easier to drink quickly which is an important consideration when places could be raided at any minute.
What was substituted for gin during the resurgence of cocktails in the 80s?
Vodka.
