Clear Answers for Common Questions

Cocktails are generally accepted these days to be any sort of mixed alcoholic drink, although sometimes the term may be used to refer to non-alcoholic mixed drinks, such as fruit juice cocktails. Originally, the term meant a mix of some sort of alcohol, a sweetener, and bitters. Most of ...

A Blue Hawaii is a cocktail which features, at a minimum, rum and blue Curaçao, with pineapple juice along with sweet and sour mix being common additions. The drink may also be made with vodka and other juices, depending on personal taste, and it is traditionally served over ice with ...

Campari is an Italian drink developed by Gaspare Campari in 1860. It is made by steeping a secret mixture of herbs in alcoholic spirits, creating a strongly flavored and very alcoholic beverage. It is in the family of drinks known as bitters, because they feature herbs and bark that lend ...

Amaretto is an Italian liquor flavored with parts of fruits that imbue the liquor with an almond flavoring. It is a very popular drink both in mixers and chilled over ice, and it has what many people describe as a dessert feel. The word itself means “somewhat bitter” in Italian ...

A Tom Collins is a mixed alcoholic drink or cocktail. Like many of the older cocktails, it has many different stories of how it was invented and who invented it. Two main stories concerning origin place the date of the drink’s creation somewhere between the 1870s-1890s. One origin ...

Hot buttered rum is among a family of spiced drinks popular during the holiday season. The drink is made with butter, rum, sugar, and spices, and diluted with hot water, which warms it. After a day in brisk winter weather, a hot drink can be a pleasant way to warm ...

The Manhattan is considered one of the oldest and most classic cocktails, and was first made in the 19th century. There are differing accounts on who can be credited with the drink’s invention, and exactly when the drink first appeared. The drink was certainly popularized by the 1870s when ...

A martini is a cocktail featuring a chilled blend of gin or vodka and a hint of either sweet red or dry white vermouth. Original recipes called for a 2:1 ratio of gin to vermouth, but that proved to be too unpopular with drinkers who preferred the astringent and ...

A Shirley Temple is a sweet, non-alcoholic drink named after the child actress of the same name. Created during the 1930s, the original mixture was two parts ginger ale, one part orange juice and a small amount of grenadine. It usually was garnished with a cherry — many children ...

A cosmopolitan or cosmo is a cocktail that many account to bartender Cheryl Cook of South Beach, Florida. She states she invented the drink around 1985. The actual inventor of the drink is a matter of contention, with some others claiming the drink was invented earlier. For instance Neal Murray ...

Bitters are distilled alcoholic beverages strongly infused with the essences of aromatic herbs and roots. Common ingredients include gentian, quinine, orange peels and Angostura bark. Although the alcohol content can reach 45% or higher, most consumers only use a few drops at a time to enhance their appetites, flavor other ...

A mimosa is a cocktail frequently served at brunch and formal breakfasts, such as those held on the morning of a wedding. These drinks are also sometimes served in fancy hotels and in the first class section of aircraft. One contains orange juice and champagne, usually in a one-to ...

A sling is a type of alcoholic drink that at first was not considered a cocktail. In fact there were multiple types of drinks, like flips and toddies that initially do not fall under the heading of cocktail. The term cocktail was at first reserved in the 19th century for ...

Lillet is an aperitif wine; a type of drink traditionally enjoyed before a meal, often with appetizers. It originated in 1887 in the Bordeaux region of France, where it is still made today. The Lillet brothers, Paul and Raymond, distillers and merchants of fine spirits, soda, and candies, created the ...

A beer cocktail is an unusual alcoholic creation combining beer with a variety of other ingredients. There are cocktail recipes available for nearly every kind of beer, from deep, dark porters to bright and fruity pale ales. Beer cocktails may be an acquired taste for some, but are a wonderful ...

Prosecco is an Italian sparkling dry white wine made primarily from Glera grapes. These are primarily grown in the Prosecco region of Italy, which includes Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, north of Venice in the Vento region. Under European law, only sparkling wines made with grapes grown in this region can have ...

The mojito is the national drink of Cuba, which many claim was invented in the late 19th century. Actually, the rum drink, flavored with lime and mint may date to a much earlier origin. Some say that the “pirates” of old, may have concocted drinks similar to the mojito, perhaps ...

Brandy has an extended history, and is made by the process of distilling wine. It became popular as an export from Europe in the 16th century, while the invention of soda water occurred much later, in the late 18th century. Surprisingly, both were considered healthful drinks. In fact, combining brandy ...

Tonic water is a carbonated beverage that derives its somewhat bitter taste from the addition of quinine, which also makes it glow when exposed to UV light. It usually is flavored with lemon or lime and lots of sugar, and it often contains caffeine. This beverage is frequently used in ...

Apricot brandy is a form of brandy made from apricots. Apricots lend this liquor a very distinctive flavor, and a rich amber to orange color. Especially sweet forms of this brandy are sometimes known as apricot liqueur. This beverage can be drunk straight, used in various recipes, and added to ...

Vermouth is a liquor made from wine, with a number of different herbs added for flavor. It is known as an aromatized liquor, and some people refer to it as a fortified wine. Strictly speaking, however, a fortified wine usually has alcohol added to it to increase its potency, while ...

Grenadine is a red, sweet, and viscous syrup often used in making cocktails. Its name comes from grenade, the French word for pomegranate. While many consider it cherry-flavored, it has traditionally been made using sugar and pomegranate juice. It is commonly used to make a number of different alcoholic ...

An aperitif is an alcoholic drink served before a meal, sometimes as an appetizer, or accompanied with an appetizer. The drink is usually somewhat bitter, sweet or light, and serves as a warm-up or opener to a meal. The term comes from the Latin aperire a verb meaning “to ...

A Virgin Mary is a non-alcoholic drink made with tomato juice and an assortment of spices, and garnished with vegetables. Many bartenders have their own unique versions of the Virgin Mary, running the gamut from mildly spiced versions which contain little more than tomato juice and celery salt to ...

Ginger ale is a carbonated soft drink flavored primarily with the essence of ginger and perhaps a citrus oil to balance out the natural peppery tartness. It is a popular mixer for certain cocktails and mixed drinks, and is also the main ingredient in a non-alcoholic mocktail known as ...

Mocktails, an abbreviation for “mock cocktails", are festive, non-alcoholic party drinks. Mocktails are often offered for designated drivers, pregnant women, or any party guests who choose not to drink alcohol. Although many drink recipes can be prepared without alcohol, some are especially popular. Mocktails come in many varieties: frozen ...

Sangrita is a beverage that is tomato-based and consists of a mixture of tomato and orange juice, with lime juice, salt and hot sauce added. It is typically used to accompany tequila or as a mixer for cocktails. When used as a accompaniment to tequila, it acts as a ...

By strict definition, a whiskey sour is a mixed drink containing whiskey, lemon juice, and sugar. To many, though, a whiskey sour is one of a family of old-fashioned cocktails reminiscent of the mid 20th century. In fact, the U.S. Bartenders Guide chose the citrus-flavored cocktail as ...

Midori is a liqueur made with melons. It is occasionally drunk on its own or with ice, but is most commonly used in fruity mix drinks, such as a Midori Illusion. The word midori in Japanese simply means 'green' and is an ideal description of this liqueur – which has a ...

Teetotalers and designated drivers who like to enjoy a night out at a party or nightclub without alcohol might be interested in learning about some tasty non-alcoholic mixed drinks. Of course, there's always soda or juice, but many people like to try something different when on the town ...

The Scottish Robin Hood, also known as Robert Roy MacGregor or simply Rob Roy, was a 17th and 18th century folk hero whose brave, or reckless deeds, have been told in numerous fictional accounts, including the Daniel Defoe novel Highland Rogue, and in the more familiar Sir Walter Scott novel ...

A snakebite is an unusual cocktail with dozens of variations. Many food and drink critics consider the drink to be an acquired taste. Popular opinion suggests that it will induce drunkenness much faster than drinking beer or any of its components alone, but this is not proven. In its basic ...

The Bellini is a summery cocktail combination that is good at any time of the year. Invented in one of the most famous bars of the 20th century, this peach and prosecco wonder has been delighting drinkers since the 1940s. Because of the original necessity of fresh peaches for the ...

Schnapps is a spirit distilled from fruits, such as pears, apples, peaches, or cherries. Real German schnapps has no sugar added and is not particularly sweet, though it carries some of the flavor of its source fruit. The French eau de vie is in many ways analogous to this spirit ...

The statement “everything old is new again” could certainly be applied to the whiskey smash. The drink is a throwback to old America mixed drinks made in the 19th century and featured in books like How to Make Mixed Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant’s Companion, written by Jerry Thomas ...

A well drink is a mixed drink made with inexpensive, generic liquor, rather than a specific brand. As one might imagine, such drinks tend to be cheaper, and some bars even offer specials on them to encourage customers to settle in for a few. Depending on the bar, the quality ...

Punsch or Punch, sometimes also called Arrack Punch or Caloric Punch is a Swedish liqueur that is popular in Nordic countries. It is made from a base of the Indian drink Arrack. Various flavors of arrack are made, but most rely on the fermentation of fruit, often raisins, or of ...

Hard lemonade is a form of alcopop, a flavored malt beverage with about the same alcoholic content as bottles of beer. Early forms of alcopop included wine coolers, which used wine instead of malt. In the late 1980s, though, brands like Zima® became popular. This led to the concept ...

Cointreau is a form of triple sec produced by the Rémy Cointreau distillery in France. This liqueur is usually viewed as a premium triple sec, and it may be sipped as a standalone beverage or blended into mixed drinks. Many bars stock Cointreau, and it is also available ...

The pink squirrel is a rich, sweet cocktail that derives its name from the use of crème de almond, also called crème de noyaux. This is a red tinged liqueur, which may be partly made not only with almonds but with the pits of apricots, that when mixed with milky ...

Curaçao liqueur is a liqueur which is traditionally produced on the island of Curaçao in the Caribbean. In addition to being produced on Curaçao, this liqueur is also made in some other regions of the world, and you can even make it at home, should you so desire. This liqueur ...

Vodka is a distilled spirit with a high alcohol content that can be produced from a number of different materials and possess different characteristics depending on the creator. Most produced these days is made from a grain, though some is still made from potatoes. The exact history of this spirit ...

A spritzer is a mixed drink which includes carbonated water or soda to make the drink light and fizzy. Traditionally, spritzers include wine, although nonalcoholic versions are also available, and some people make more complex spritzers with wine and juice or other ingredients. These drinks are very popular in the ...

Exotic tropical drinks are a fun and festive way to add to any celebration. Whether you are hosting a luau or just looking for a way to cool off, tropical drinks can be the key to a relaxing island atmosphere. These drinks are often alcoholic, but any can be modified ...

The invention of the alcohol rum is credited to the New World, and most particularly to the Caribbean, where sugar cane proliferated and became the inspiration for rum. Prior to that, in Europe, most types of punch were mixed drinks with wine or brandy as a base alcohol. Usually such ...

Bishop is one of the classic English hot punches or hot toddies that were popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. In fact, most British taverns would have offered bishop to its customers, and it was particularly enjoyed during the Christmas season. Bishop derives its name from its purple color ...

Grand Marnier is a triple sec liqueur invented in 1880 and still produced by the same family in France. The company boasts that it is the most exported liqueur in France, as well as being the first liqueur exported from that country. It is sold in over 150 countries and ...

A Black Russian is a cocktail which is made with coffee liqueur and vodka, served over crushed ice. This cocktail is quite common in many regions of the world, and it is often one of the first drinks that a bartender learns to prepare. Black Russians are very easy to ...

Aquavit, sometimes spelled Akvavit or Akevitt, depending on the nation of origin, is a Scandinavian liquor. The alcohol content of the extremely strong distilled spirits can range between 42-45%, and the beverage is usually served with appetizers, or as part of a heavy holiday meal. Like many regional liquors ...

A White Russian is a cocktail which is made with vodka, coffee liqueur, and milk or cream. The origins of the name of the beverage are presumably related to the presence of vodka, a traditionally Russian alcohol. A related drink, the Black Russian, pre-dates the White Russian, and contains ...

A lava flow is a blended alcoholic drink that builds on the more familiar pina colada, and the strawberry daiquiri. It is a popular drink in Hawaii, and in other tropical type resorts. The drink can also be delicious without alcohol. In fact, it makes an excellent drink or smoothie ...

Margarita mix is a juice-like concoction, typically flavored lime or lemon, that is used as a base for margarita cocktails. A good mix allows a bartender or home entertainer to make margaritas with ease — in most cases, all that needs to be added is liquor and sometimes ice ...

An Old Fashioned is probably one of the most classic and oldest of cocktails, and in some ways resembles the many alcoholic punches that were served in England and the Americas prior to the true beginning of the cocktail. Reference to the Old Fashioned dates back to 1806, but the ...

A Roy Rogers is a non-alcoholic drink named after the cowboy singer and actor by the same name. The drink was created as the little boy's variation of the Shirley Temple non-alcoholic drink. The base of the drink is cola and non-alcoholic grenadine syrup is the ...

Sangría is a wine and fruit punch, and above and beyond that, it is limited only by the preparer’s imagination. The word sangría comes from the Spanish word for blood and refers the deep red color of the beverage that comes from one of the crucial ingredients: red wine ...

White sangria, or sangria blanca, is a delicious and refreshing wine punch. Hailing from Spain, this cooling beverage is a mixture of white or sparkling wine with summer’s ripest fruits. Try making white sangria for a Spanish themed dinner, a garden wedding, or any warm-weather celebration. Typically, white ...