Ever wondered where a Cosmopolitan comes from, or if a Long Island iced tea really is from Long Island?
With cocktails firmly on the menu through the summer, the team of experts at language learning app Busuu have researched all the cocktail classics.
As well as looking at the ingredients of the tasty tipples, they’ve also looked at where they originated from and the stories behind them.
Here is Busuu’s guide to cocktails around the globe:
Classic Mojito, Cuba
Arguably one of the most famous cocktails is the classic mojito. The sweet blend of white rum, sugar, lime juice, mint and soda water makes the mojito the perfect refreshing drink.
The Mojito originated from Cuba and it’s believed the creation of this drink was to control and ward off diseases on the island. It’s said to be created around the 1500s, making it one of the oldest mixed drinks around.
Another fun fact about the drink is that it actually became a lot more popular after making an appearance in the 2002 James Bond film, Die Another Day. The movie included a scene where Pierce Brosnan sips a mojito whilst flirting with Halle Berry’s character, leading to more interest in the Cuban drink.
Pi ña Colada, Puerto Rico
The famous creamy blend of white rum, pineapple juice and coconut cream is home to San Juan in Puerto Rico. It was actually created by bartender Ramón “Monchito” Marrero in 1954 and after 35 years, it was announced as Puerto Rico’s official drink in 1978.
When translated from Spanish, Piña Colada literally means strained pineapple!
Strawberry Daiquiri, Cuba
Not only is Cuba the home of the Piña Colada, but it’s also where the smooth daiquiri was created.
It was actually created by American engineer, Jennings Cox, who was in Cuba at the time after the Spanish-American war. Rumour has it that he came up with the drink after running out of gin while hosting his own cocktail party.
The beautiful blend of rum, lime and syrup is actually named after a small town in Cuba.
Cosmopolitan, Miami
The rosey pink drink is one of the most recognisable cocktails. It’s not clear where this drink actually originated from, with rumours of around three different people claiming to have come up with it. This is because a few variations of the drink were all made around the same time.
The most famous theory is that the fusion of vodka, cranberry juice and lime juice was created by Miami bartender Cheryl Cook at a bar called The Strand. It’s said that her aim was to make a drink that was sweeter in taste and more visually appealing to women, hence the colour.
Long Island iced tea, New York
Like the Cosmopolitan, there isn’t just one story of origin floating around about the Long Island iced tea.
One theory is that this infamous drink was created by Robert Butt in a contest in 1972, where he was tasked with making a mixed drink that included triple sec.
It’s also believed that he named the drink Long Island iced tea because during the time of the contest he was working at the Oak Beach Inn on Long Island.
This popular drink takes the top spot for the most amount of ingredients and consists of a blend of vanilla vodka, dry gin, tequila, rum, triple sec, lime juice and cola.
