Cocktails

For most of human history the only alcoholic drinks consumed were relatively weak beer and wine. Following the first distillation of alcohol in the twelfth century however the alcoholic content of beverages could be greatly increased, and a much wider variety of intoxicating beverages became available. In the seventeenth century the drink of choice in taverns and inns in England and throughout the American colonies was rum punch, a drink that reflected both nations dependence upon the triangular trade; dried cod from the North Atlantic, slaves from West Africa and rum distilled from Caribbean molasses.§It is punch, a combination of five ingredients, that is the template for all cocktails: a strong spirit (brandy, rum, gin), a solvent (white wine or tea), sugar, citrus juice and a spice such as nutmeg. When mechanically-harvested ice became available in the early nineteenth century the true cocktail was born, and soon Americans were sipping Martinis and Mint Juleps in hotel bars, saloons and taprooms.§Cocktails are the most American of alcoholic beverages, and at the same time they are the most international of drinks. Created in the United States about 1806, they quickly spilled over into all corners of the globe. In Cocktails: A Global History Joseph M. Carlin describes how cocktails influenced society around the world, resulting in the birth of cocktail parties, cocktail dresses, cocktail hors d oeuvres, napkins and the Molotov cocktail. Cocktails will appeal to anyone who enjoys a cocktail or is interested in how some of our most popular drinks were invented and travelled around the globe.