3 Famous Cocktails And Their History

Athole Brose

You know a cocktail is good when legend says it was used to win a war. The Athole Brose is a drink with a truly remarkable history. Before revealing what is featured in this delicious drink, let’s discover a bit more about the fascinating story behind the cocktail. 

According to Scottish legend, the first Earl of Athol created this drink whilst he was awaiting reinforcements to ambush a fleeing enemy. It’s believed that once he had discovered the hidden hideout of the rebel faction, he sent some of his men to fill their well with oatmeal, honey and whiskey. The men ended up intoxicated from the drink and thus fleeing did not go to plan, as they were easily captured. 

I will leave you to decide whether you believe this legend, but one thing is for sure, this drink has been around for a very long time. In fact, no one really knows when Athole Brose was first consumed in Scotland, but the earliest recorded recipe dates back to 1475. The conventional drink is a mixture of oatmeal, scotch, honey, water and sometimes Drambuie. Drambuie is a blend of aged Scotch whisky, herbs, spices and heather honey. 

To make this drink, you need to steep a volume of oatmeal overnight in three times as much cold water. After this, the liquid is then strained through muslin to get rid of the oatmeal fibre.  

On New Year’s Eve in Scotland, you will find that a lot of people still enjoy this drink as part of the tradition. However, as is the case with most classic cocktails, you will find several variations of the Athole Brose available nowadays. A lot of bartenders opt to make this drink with cream, with many people commenting that it tastes a lot like Bailey’s Irish Cream when prepared in this way. 

Long Island Iced Tea

There are many different stories regarding the origin of Long Island Iced Tea. The first story states that an ‘Old Man Bishop’ invented the drink in the 1920s during the Prohibition. The reason why it was called Long Island Iced Tea is because the Old Man Bishop was from Long Island, a local community in Kingsport, Tennessee. The reason why many people do not agree with this story is because the drink is slightly different from the one we have come to know and love today. The 1920 version was a mix of whiskey, maple syrup and five liquors in varying quantities. The cocktail today features cola and equal portions of the different liquors used.

Those who do not credit Old Man Bishop as the inventor believe that a man called Robert ‘Rosebud’ Butt created Long Island Iced Tea in 1972. He claims that he invented the drink as an entry into a competition. The contest required applicants to create a new mixed drink containing Triple Sec. Butt worked at the Oak Beach Inn on Long Island in New York at the time and many local references accredit him as the creator of the drink.

Long Island Ice Tea recipe

Despite containing a number of ingredients, Long Island Ice Tea is relatively easy to make. You need the following…

• 1 part Vodka

• 1 part White Rum

• 1 part Whiskey

• 1 Part Gin

• 1 Part Tequila

• 1 oz. Cola

• 1 oz. Sugar Syrup

All you need to do is combine the ingredients together in a Collins glass and stir. Unlike many other gin and vodka cocktails, bartenders do not tend to garnish Long Island Iced Tea. It is simply served as it is. You may need heartburn relief if you’re sensitive to alcohol, as it’s known to create acid reflux, especially a strong cocktail like this.

Margarita

If you look online you will see that there are many varying stories about the invention of the Margarita, however, one of the stories that prevails is the one of Carlos Herrera developing the drink in 1938 at his restaurant, Rancho La Gloria, in Tijuana. One of Herrera’s customers, Marjorie King, was allergic to all types of hard alcohol, with tequila being the only exception, and therefore he created the drink for her. He added a wedge of lime and a lick of salt to a traditional tequila shot to make it more palatable for his fussy client. And the Margarita was created, or was it? Another popular story is that a wealthy Dallas socialite, Margarita Sames, created the drink for her friends in 1948 whilst she was at her Acapulco holiday home. One of the guests was Tommy Hilton who then added the drink to the bar menu at his hotel chain. 

Whilst the history of this drink may be confusing, the good news is that the recipe is easy to follow. You will require the following ingredients…

• Tequila

• Triple Sec

• Lime Juice

• Ice 

• Lime Wedge

• Salt

Pour one and a half ounces of tequila into a cocktail shaker. Add half an ounce of triple sec and one ounce of fresh lime juice. Add ice cubes and then shake well. Take a chilled margarita glass and salt the rim. Pour the contents from the cocktail shaker into the glass. Finish off by garnishing with a lime wedge.