All roads lead to Manhattan. At least, that’s the case when considering the cocktails named after New York City neighborhoods. While longtime cocktail monikers like the Manhattan and the Old Fashioned make up the global beverage lexicon, New York City — one of the hottest hubs of contemporary mixology — has a set of unique concoctions inspired by its many neighborhoods. Many of these arose from…
The cocktails and drink styles—both classic and modern—that have driven cocktail trends over the past two decades.
The post Cocktails That Have Flexed Their Influence Over the Past 20 Years appeared first on Imbibe Magazine.
When ordering a classic cocktail, drinkers can anticipate how the beverage will likely taste. But as more craft cocktail bars open and drink programs lean into bespoke recipes, predicting the flavor of an unfamiliar menu item becomes a bit more difficult. Rather than relying on previous experiences with well-established concoctions like the Negroni or Old Fashioned, drinkers must consider the…
The bourbon cocktail canon runs deep with roots in one of the earliest known cocktails — the Old Fashioned — followed by classics like the Mint Julep and Boulevardier and modern entries including the Gold Rush and the Paper Plane. While these are all exemplary when made with a practiced hand, they are easy to overdo since their simplicity invites creative iteration and leads to countless riffs.…
Take a quick scan through Robert Simonson’s book “The Old-Fashioned: The Story of the World’s First Classic Cocktail, with Recipes and Lore” and you’ll immediately learn one thing: The Old Fashioned has a history rich in ancestral recipes, regional styles, and modern-day offshoots. While we love riffs on the classic, such as the Calvados Old Fashioned and the variety inspired by Oaxaca, we also…
Gin & Tonics were made for home bartending. They’re quick to whip up, the specs are entirely subjective, and the ingredients require little, if any, mixing. While delicious, what a G&T succeeds at in ease, it lacks in pizzazz. Other than the namesake ingredients and maybe a citrus wedge, a G&T is a G&T — that’s part of its beauty. But a Gin & Tonic can be so much more. Gin’s botanical, earthy…
For the at-home mixologist, it can be difficult to figure out exactly how to stock your bar cart. Not everyone looking to whip up classic cocktails has the luxury of stocking several bottles of a spirit to experiment with. So if you have to commit to just one expression to cater to a wide range of drinks, which gin should you reach for? Gin is always distilled with juniper berries, but…
A low-ABV, aperitif-style cocktail that dates back to the 1890s is making waves again in some of the finest drinking establishments in the world. It’s an unexpected trend recently reported in the Drinks International 2026 Cocktail Report, an annual survey of the best-selling drinks at the world’s best bars. The Cocktail Report draws on a […]
The post A 19th-Century Cocktail Is Making a Comeback…
Trends can define certain decades. Mention the 1980s, for example, and images of neon clothes, big hair, and women’s jackets with shoulder pads rivaling a middle linebacker may immediately come to mind. They aren’t wholly definitive of the decade — the ’80s was also the era of slick Wall Street yuppies, thrash metal, and the constant threat of nuclear warfare — but they do paint a vivid enough…
Cocktail culture is as susceptible to trend cycles as any other industry. A peek into any modern bar will reveal tables full of rich Espresso Martinis sitting alongside fizzy Aperol Spritzes and creamy pints of Guinness. Meanwhile, more niche fads emerge each day, from fluffy, cold foam-topped creations to intensely savory, briny, and even fish-filled Martini riffs. While the new kids on the…
Each year, the first full week of April sees all eyes on Augusta, Ga. Sure, the green jacket and magnolias are iconic, but nothing gets us into the Masters spirit at home like a pimento cheese sandwich. The staple has been on the menu at the golf tournament since 1948. Back then, one sandwich would set you back 25 cents, and today it’s priced at an incredibly reasonable $1.50. That means a lot of…
Major League Baseball’s Opening Day signals the kickoff of many exciting traditions for fans: ballpark beers and hot dogs, the seventh-inning stretch, and enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of the ballpark. It also provides an opportunity for fans to suss out the new players on their favorite team. Be they highly touted prospects, prized free agent signings, significant trade acquisitions,…
Humans are creatures of habit. I’m certainly guilty of gravitating towards the same things, especially when it comes to my bar order. I will almost always order the Martini, and I’ll have the bartender make me one even if it’s not on the menu as one of their signature cocktails. I obviously love other drinks, […]
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The first quarter of this century has seen the birth and rebirth of literally thousands of cocktails, more than any other period in history. But it can be argued that most of those original creations were inspired by a handful of foundational cocktails — the liquid mentors of the mixology world. Here’s a list of the most influential drinks of the past 25 years. Some are newer inventions, like the…
Vodka is notoriously considered a “boring” spirit among bartenders. This partially stems from its long-standing reputation for being a flavorless, odorless neutral grain spirit. These characteristics haven’t technically been accurate for years — the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) removed those taste and smell requirements in 2020. Still, the specter of the past haunts the…
You’re at a bar, you scan the menu, and nothing piques your interest. You might resort to an old reliable — a Boulevardier, a Whiskey Sour, or a dirty Gin Martini — but for some reason, your usual go-tos sound unappealing. Then, all of a sudden, the server walks up to your seat and asks for your order. You blurt “Gin & Tonic,” just to get something out. As they walk away, you remember you…
In New Orleans, Carnival season leading up to Mardi Gras is the biggest drinking event of the year. And what better way to celebrate than with the many classic cocktails either conceived of or beloved in the Big Easy. We thought that this indulgent time period was the perfect opportunity to refamiliarize ourselves with these timeless tipples, so we chatted with some of the top bartenders in the…