OUDG405- Studio Brief 02 Facts

cocktail facts and History

• London cocktail week

year                    2012                2013               2014 

people                   7,669                  12,839                22,000

attending  

Trade                     3,543                  4,672                 no figure 

cocktails sold                                   75,000                125,000

cocktails have become more popular over the years.  

• Most cocktails made in 1 hour 1,003 by Sheldon Wiley at Empire room NY 13/03/11 

• A craze for the Mojtio cocktail has helped rum become the uk's fastest growing spirit data from tesco said sales has jumped 22% in a year.

• Most expensive cocktail Salvatores Legacy Cocktail made from 

1778 close de Griffier Venux Cognac 

1770 Kummel 

1860 Dubb Orange Curaco 

1900 Angostura Bitters 

cost £5,500 per glass 

• The production of alcohol has been traced back at least 12,000 years 

• The first cocktail party was held for 50 house guests in St. Louis in 1917. The house still stands today.

• Prior to Prohibition in the USA, the country was enjoying its first golden age of mixology. Once liquor became illegal, ‘rum runners’ brought it in by boat but watered down their blend so they could ship less and make more.

• At the same time, gin and vodka replaced rum and whiskey as cocktail ingredients because they didn’t require as much aging and were easier to make illegally.

• Between 2006 and 2011, standard gin sales stagnated whilst super-premium gin sales grew 18%. 

•    64% Increase Worldwide growth in sales value 2011 vs. 2012, Tito’s handmade Vodka  

• Top 20 most popular cocktails 

• Tom Collins 

This refreshing summer drink owes its name to a 19th century hoax. In 1874, hundreds of New Yorkers heard some bad news while they were out on the town: a certain Tom Collins had been besmirching their good names. Of course, the root of the hoax was that there wasn't really a Tom Collins, but that didn't keep aggrieved parties from searching him out. To deepen the joke, bartenders started making the citrus cocktail that now bears the name, so when searchers asked for Tom Collins, they could instead find a thirst-quenching long drink.

• Screwdriver

The name for this classic drink derived from need. In the 1950s, workers on oil rigs in the Persian Gulf would work long and dangerous hours. So, to relax and entertain themselves, they would make a drink or two. Sources say they would pour orange juice and vodka into cans while working, and the name came from the fact that they used their screwdrivers to mix this secret beverage.

The name vermouth is the French pronunciation for the German word “wermut” for wormwood, which was one of the original ingredients in the fortified wine.

• Black Russia 

Surprisingly, containing vodka is the only thing this cocktail has to do with Russia. Bartender Gustave Tops created the drink in 1949 or 1950 while working at the Hotel Metropole in Brussels. Tops supposedly first mixed the combination of Kahlua and vodka for American socialite Perle Mesta, who was serving as the ambassador to Luxembourg at the time.

• The Old Fashioned

 (whiskey, bitters, sugar, water and a bit of fruit if you have it) derives its name from drinkers in the late 19th century requesting to have a drink made in the old-fashioned way.

• Bacardi 

Don Facundo Bacardi Masso’s business in Cuba was rebuilt on rum after his import/export business was looted.

At that time in Cuba, not many people could read and write, so Don Facundo’s wife used the symbol of the bats that were roosting in the distillery to identify Bacardi and it has stuck ever since.

• Rum

Rum acquired the nickname Nelson’s Blood after the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. When he died, Lord Nelson’s body was placed in a barrel of rum for preservation. Legend has it that when the sailor’s learned of this, they drank the rum.

Navy rum is stronger than other rums, it was once used to fire the canons if gunpowder got wet.

• The Daiquiri

If you're an American mine employee stuck working in Cuba, what do you do? In the case of intrepid engineer Jennings Cox, you start creatively mixing drinks. The mixture of rum, lime, and sugar supposedly sprang to life in 1905 when Cox and some of his fellow Americans were hanging out in a bar in Santiago, Cuba. By mixing together these handy ingredients, the Americans found a tasty tipple, and it eventually worked its way back to the states.

• The Martini

Aficionados disagree, sometimes violently, on the correct ratio of gin to dry vermouth that makes a transcendent martini, and the debate over the true origin of the martini can be just as contentious. Some claim that it's simply a dryer version of an older cocktail called the Martinez; Martinez, California, the birthplace of this cocktail, thus stakes its claim to the title of birthplace of the martini. Others postulate that the drink's name simply comes from Martini & Rossi, an Italian company that's been exporting its vermouths to the U.S. since the 19th century. Still others claim that the drink was created by and named for Martini di Arma di Taggia, the bartender at New York's Knickerbocker Hotel, although there's evidence that the cocktail may have been invented well before he started mixing drinks.

• Mojito

The origins of this minty beverage are also clouded in mystery, but its birthplace was definitely Cuba. And, there is one thing that holds true among the various stories – the ability of the mojito to fight scurvy (which would explain the popularity among sailors). As for the name itself? One theory states the name relates to mojo, a Cuban seasoning made from lime.

• The Negroni

Count Camillo Negroni gets credits for creating this aperitif around 1919. As the story goes, Negroni really loved to throw back an Americano (Campari, sweet vermouth, and club soda), but he wanted a little extra zing in his glass. He asked a bartender to replace the club soda with gin to give the mixture some added kick, and the Negroni was born.