≡ Fascinating Stories Behind Famous Cocktails ➤ Brain Berries

Usually when it comes to cocktails, we don’t really care to know much about them. Half the time you don’t even know all the ingredients of what it is you’re drinking, just that it tastes sweet (or bitter, depending on your tastes) and usually looks fairly colorful.

Some cocktails out there have some truly amazing stories behind them, however. It might not make them taste better, but it’s entertaining and it won’t make them taste worse either. Let’s dive into some cocktail history. Grab a drink, while you’re at it!

Daiquiri

Named after the village in Cuba with the same name, the Daiquiri wasn’t a very popular drink until a U.S. Navy officer fell in love with it and introduced it to the Army and Navy clubs. The invention of the Daiquiri is also quite fascinating: during the Spanish-American war, most booze was hard to come by. As nothing else was readily available, people used rum for their drinks instead.

Margarita

Most stories about Margarita’s origin lead back to a woman. Sadly, we’re not quite sure which woman it is that we can hold responsible for the creation of this drink: it’s either dancer Marjorie King, singer Peggy Lee or ambassador’s daughter Margarita Henkel.

Bloody Mary

The Bloody Mary might have been nothing more than a mispronunciation of the Slavic syllables for “Vladimir” (as in: Vladimir Smirnov, for who the drink was made). Another popular theory is that it was the favorite drink of Queen Mary I of England.

Mojito

Apparently this one has a pretty literal meaning. A “mojo” is a Spanish name for a Cuban sauce made from citrus fruits, which I guess kind of matches the definition Austin Powers gives to it. “Mojito” is then interpreted as a “little mojo”. The name was introduced by African slaves working on the Cuban sugar cane fields.

Mai Tai

This one is pretty simple: “mai tai” means “very good” in Tahitian and that’s exactly what the first people that drank the cocktail cried out as they tasted it. And so the Mai Tai was born.

Pink Lady

The name was taken from a Broadway musical of the same name. It was invented by Elsie de Wolfe, who was a huge personality in society at the time.

Long Island Iced Tea

Another pretty obvious one, the Long Island Iced Tea was named after Long Island – where it was invented during prohibition – and the fact that it resembles iced tea in color as well as taste.

Martini

The easy solution to this mystery is that it’s named after its use of Martini in its creation. Another theory says that it’s named after the town of Martinez, where the drink was supposedly invented.

Tequila Sunrise

Named after its colors that resemble a desert sunrise, the tequila probably also helps people wake up blacked out to a desert sunrise the next day.