5 classic cocktails to try this summer (and the story behind them)
Summer is still in full swing, and what better way to enjoy it than by sipping on a couple of rum-based cocktails?
In today’s article, we’ll list 5 classic cocktails, the story behind them, and their recipe in case you want to try making your own. Who knows, maybe you have the skills of a bartender!
Mojito: A Refreshing Tale from Cuba
The Mojito, a beloved classic, hails from the island of Cuba. While its exact origins are shrouded in mystery, there are a few intriguing theories about its creation.
One popular story links the Mojito to Sir Francis Drake. In the 16th century, the English explorer is said to have landed in Cuba seeking a cure for scurvy, a disease plaguing his crew. The locals reportedly concocted a remedy using rum, lime, sugar, and mint, which evolved into today’s Mojito.
Another theory suggests that the Mojito’s roots lie in the African slaves brought to Cuba to work in the sugarcane fields. They combined local ingredients with their medicinal knowledge to create a refreshing and invigorating drink.
Regardless of its specific origins, the Mojito’s popularity soared in the early 20th century, thanks in part to Ernest Hemingway, who was a frequent patron of La Bodeguita del Medio in Havana. The bar claims to have invented the Mojito, and Hemingway’s endorsement helped solidify the drink’s iconic status.
Today, the Mojito is enjoyed worldwide as a symbol of Cuban culture and a refreshing escape from the summer heat.
How to make it?
Ingredients
- 3 mint leaves
- 1/2 ounce simple syrup
- 2 ounces white rum
- 3/4 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
- Club soda, to top
- Garnish: mint sprig
- Garnish: lime wheel
Directions
- Lightly muddle the mint with the simple syrup in a shaker.
- Add the rum, lime juice, and ice, and give it a brief shake, then strain into a highball glass over fresh ice. Alternatively, you can use pebble ice instead and gently swizzle it all together.
- Top with the club soda.
- Garnish with a mint sprig and lime wheel.
Enjoy!
A recipe from Liquor.com
The Jungle Bird: A Tropical Tale
The Jungle Bird cocktail is a true classic, with a fascinating story to match. Created in the 1970s by Jeffrey Ong Swee Teik, a bartender at the Aviary Bar in the Kuala Lumpur Hilton, the drink was originally designed as a welcoming beverage for hotel guests.
Inspired by the exotic ambiance of the hotel and the colorful birds visible from the bar, Ong crafted a cocktail that captured the essence of the jungle. The name “Jungle Bird” was a direct nod to these feathered residents.
The Jungle Bird quickly gained popularity for its refreshing and complex flavor profile, a perfect balance of sweet, sour, and bitter notes. It has since become a staple on cocktail menus worldwide, and its enduring appeal is a testament to its creator’s genius.
How to make it?
To make the Jungle Bird, you’ll need the next ingredients:
- 1 1/2 ounces blackstrap rum
- 3/4 ounce Campari
- 1 1/2 ounces pineapple juice
- 1/2 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 1/2 ounce demerara syrup
- Garnish: pineapple wedge
Directions
- Add the rum, Campari, pineapple juice, lime juice, and Demerara syrup into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled.
- Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with a pineapple wedge.
Enjoy!
A recipe from Liquor.com
The Hurricane: A New Orleans Classic
The Hurricane, a beloved New Orleans cocktail, is a potent and refreshing concoction that has captured the hearts of cocktail enthusiasts for decades. While its exact origins remain somewhat shrouded in mystery, there are two primary theories about its creation.
One story places the Hurricane’s birth at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. A bar at the fair, aptly named the “Hurricane Bar,” served a drink called a Hurricane, though the exact recipe remains unknown.
The more widely accepted tale credits Pat O’Brien’s, a legendary New Orleans bar, with inventing the cocktail.
During Prohibition, the bar operated as a speakeasy under the name “Mr. O’Brien’s.” After Prohibition ended, Pat O’Brien’s became a popular destination for tourists, and the Hurricane emerged as their signature drink.
The cocktail’s name would be a nod to the password needed to get in, when the bar was a speakeasy or yo the curvy glass that resembles a hurricane lab.
How to make the Hurricane?
Ingredients
- 50ml dark rum
- 50ml white rum
- 1 passion fruit
- 1 orange, juiced
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 50ml sugar syrup
- 2 tsp grenadine
- To garnish
- 4 cocktail cherries
- 2 orange slices
Steps
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice then add the rums. Scoop the flesh and seeds from the passion fruit and add to the shaker along with the orange and lemon juices, sugar syrup and grenadine.
- Shake well until the outside of the cocktail shaker feels icy cold. Fill two hurricane glasses with fresh ice then double strain the drink into the prepared glasses.
- Garnish each one with an orange slice skewered onto a cocktail stick and a couple of cocktail cherries.
Enjoy!
A recipe from Good Food
The Rum Runner: A Smuggler’s Delight
The Rum Runner cocktail is a nod to the daring individuals who defied Prohibition laws by smuggling rum into the United States. These “rum runners” operated boats and planes to transport alcohol from the Caribbean, often through the Florida Keys.
While the exact origins of the cocktail are a bit hazy, it’s widely believed to have been created in the Florida Keys during the mid-20th century. The recipe likely emerged as a way to use up excess rum and other ingredients that were readily available in the area.
The Rum Runner’s tropical flavors and potent kick perfectly capture the spirit of adventure and rebellion associated with its namesake. It’s a cocktail that evokes images of sun-soaked beaches, hidden coves, and the thrill of the chase.
How to make the Rum Runner?
Ingredients
- 1 ounce light rum
- 1 ounce dark or aged rum
- 1 ounce banana liqueur
- 1/2 ounce blackberry liqueur, or blackberry brandy
- 1 ounce pineapple juice
- 1 splash grenadine
- Variety of fresh fruit, for garnish
Directions
- Add all of the ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice.
- Shake well.
- Strain into a hurricane glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with fruit.
Enjoy!
A recipe from the Spruce Eats
The Dark ‘n’ Stormy: A Classic Tale from Bermuda
The Dark ‘n’ Stormy, a beloved cocktail featuring Gosling’s Black Seal Rum and ginger beer, has a rich history tied to the island of Bermuda.
Legend has it that the drink’s distinctive name originated from a sailor who, upon tasting the concoction, remarked that it was the color of a cloud “only a fool or a dead man would sail under.” The dark rum combined with the stormy appearance of the ginger beer created a visually striking and fitting moniker.
While the exact origins of the cocktail remain somewhat shrouded in mystery, it’s widely accepted that the Dark ‘n’ Stormy is a product of Bermuda’s rich rum-making tradition.
Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, the essential ingredient, has been produced on the island since the 1800s, and the combination of this aged rum with the refreshing bite of ginger beer has become synonymous with Bermuda’s maritime heritage.
How to make it?
Ingredients
- 2 oz Goslings Black Seal Rum
- As needed Ginger beer
- Lime (optional)
(to be legally considered a Black & Stormy, it must be made with Gosling’s Black Seal Rum)
Directions
- Pour Ginger beer in to highball glass over ice.
- Add ice.
- Float Goslings Black Seal Rum on top.
- Garnish with lime wedge and enjoy.
Enjoy!
A recipe from Vine Pair
Bonus: El Presidente: The Aristocrat Cocktail*
El Presidente is a classic cocktail with a history steeped in intrigue and elegance. While its specific origins remain somewhat shrouded in mystery, it’s widely believed to have been concocted in Cuba during the early 20th century.
The cocktail’s name is a nod to a Cuban president, though there’s some debate as to whether it was Mario García Menocal or Gerardo Machado who inspired the moniker. Regardless, the name evokes a sense of sophistication and prestige, fitting for a cocktail of this caliber.
El Presidente is a harmonious blend of rum, dry vermouth, orange liqueur, and grenadine. Its balanced flavors and complex character have solidified its status as a timeless classic, enjoyed by cocktail enthusiasts worldwide.
How to make it?
- 1 1/2 ounces light rum
- 3/4 ounce orange curaçao liqueur
- 3/4 ounce dry vermouth
- 1 dash grenadine
Directions
- In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, pour all the ingredients.
- Shake well.
- Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
- Serve.
Enjoy!
A recipe from The Spruce Eats
Why not embark on a cocktail-making adventure this summer and recreate these iconic drinks at home? With a little experimentation and a passion for flavor, you can become your mixologist and discover the magic within each classic drink.
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*This citation is from Basil Woon’s recipe book When It’s Cocktail Time in Cuba, where he mentioned “It is the aristocrat of cocktails and is the one preferred by the better class of Cuba”.
