When you were in your early 20s, the concept of mixing a civilized cocktail was far from your radar. In fact, if you’re like most geared-up testosterone-filled boyz-not-quite-to-men, you probably drank warm beer and whatever you could steal from your parent’s liquor cabinet. Later, in college, you slugged Jagermeister shots and Captain Morgans rum and thought you were a man of the world. And when you finally hit 21 and could legally to walk into a liquor store? You were probably more concerned with the price tag than the contents of the brown paper bag you walked out with, so cheap vodka might have been your poison.
But, now, it’s time to step up to the major leagues and start acting, dressing, and, yes, drinking like a real man, and that starts today with teaching you about cocktails.
Just like being with a beautiful woman, reuniting with best friends, and enjoying the perfect sunny day in the wild, drinking a fine cocktail will leave you with more than just alcohol consumption or even a fine mix of flavors and complex palatable textures – it will be a cultured drinking experience.
Cocktail historians trace the first mention of the word to a newspaper in London, England on March 20, 1798, while the term made its first appearance in the United States in The Farmer’s Cabinet on April 28, 1803.
The first formal definition of a cocktail was posed by Harry Croswell in The Balance and Columbian Repository on May 13, 1806. Croswell defined it as:
“Cock-tail is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters—it is vulgarly called bittered sling, and is supposed to be an excellent electioneering potion, in as much as it renders the heart stout and bold, at the same time that it fuddles the head. It is said, also to be of great use to a democratic candidate: because a person, having swallowed a glass of it, is ready to swallow anything else.”
A wise man, that Harry C! Later, in 1862, the first bartender’s guide with cocktail recipes was released, How to Mix Drinks by cocktail “Professor” Jerry Thomas.
So no matter whether you’re modeling your aspiring grown-man drinking game after renowned gentlemen cocktail lovers James Bond, Don Draper from Mad Men, or “Ol’ Blue Eyes” Frank Sinatra, you’ll want to know these seven classic cocktail recipes.
And for those searching for a cocktail recipe, these could be handy. Mainly, if you’ve started to develop an interest in specific cocktails like the Painkiller drink, these classic recipes can provide the basis for understanding before you venture out.
List of Cocktails Every Man Should Know
MANHATTAN
Named after the city where it was invented in the 1870s, a Manhattan is the suit and tie of classic cocktails. It highlights fine liquor without over-sweetening when mixed with unnecessary ingredients. Still, to this day, a Manhattan is considered a sophisticated real man’s drink.
2 oz rye or bourbon
1/2 oz sweet vermouth
1-2 dashes bitters
Maraschino cherry or lemon twist for garnish
Combine the rye, Vermouth, and bitters in a mixing glass or shaker with ice. Stir for a bit, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry or lemon twist.
MARTINI
The martini you order these days isn’t your grandfather’s martini, which was always made with gin. So if you a purist and you want a vodka martini, you should order it as such. Likewise, even dry martinis should have a tad of vermouth or else it’s really not a martini anymore but just dry gin
2-1/2 oz gin
1/2 oz dry vermouth
Olives or a lemon twist for garnish
Pour gin and vermouth into a shaker or mixing glass filled with ice. Stir for a bit, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with olives or lemon twist.
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