SFist Drinks: Seven Decades of Cocktails from Gourmet
Blood 'n' Sand Cocktail. Photo: Romulo Yanes
Blood 'n' Sand Cocktail - November 1947
(You can find this classic on the menu at The Alembic)
Pour into a cocktail shaker 1 jigger each Scotch whisky, cherry brandy, sweet vermouth, and orange juice. Shake well with cracked ice and strain into cocktail glasses.
The "Madras" - November 1959
(Not to be confused with the vodka-cran-OJ mixture that shares the name with this crazy layered Sno Cone.)
Fill a Champagne coupe with a dome of firmly packed, finely shaved ice and mark the ice dome into 7 equal segments. Over them pour, one liqueur to a segment, a teaspoon each of the following in the order indicated: apricot liqueur, green Chartreuse, Bénédictine, crème de cassis, crème de cacao, anisette, and dark Curaçao. Over the top of the ice dome pour 1 tablespoon Cognac. Sip through straws, tasting each liqueur separately first, then stir the mixture and savor the blend.
See more from the 1950s here.
Royal Cooler - August 1962
Pour 2 ounces Cointreau, 1 ounce kirsch, and 1/2 ounce green Chartreuse into a cocktail shaker one-quarter full of cracked ice. Add a dash of maraschino, shake the mixture well, and strain it into a chilled 12-ounce highball glass. Fill the glass with chilled Champagne and stir gently to blend. Garnish with 2 fresh black cherries, lightly crushed.
See more from the 1960s here.
Planter's Punch. Photo: Romolo Yanes
In a cocktail shaker combine 1/2 cup crushed ice, 3 tablespoons dark rum, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon Angostura bitters. Cover the container, shake the mixture well, and pour it into a 10-ounce highball glass. Add ice cubes or soda water, if desired. Invert a spoon in the glass and gently pour over the back of the spoon 1 or 2 tablespoons dark rum. Garnish the planter’s punch with a pineapple spear, an orange slice, and a maraschino cherry. Makes 1 drink.
See more from the 1970s here.
Manhattan Windows on the World - October 1984
(This classic comes from cocktail guru Dale DeGroff, who managed the bar at the iconic Windows on the World, on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center.)
1/2 ounce (1/2 pony) sweet vermouth
2 1/2 ounces (2 1/2 ponies) rye
a lemon twist for garnish if desired
In a cocktail shaker combine the vermouth, the rye and 4 ice cubes, stir the mixture until it is cold, and strain it into a cocktail glass. Garnish the drink with the lemon twist if desired. Makes 1 drink.
See more from the 1980s here.
Basil Mojito - May 1996
(This represents the beginning of the appearance of fresh, savory herbs in cocktails. Also see the Provencal Sage Cordial.)
2 fresh mint sprigs, chopped
2 fresh basil sprigs, chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) light rum
chilled club soda or seltzer
In a tall glass with back of spoon crush mint and basil with sugar and lime juice until sugar is dissolved and stir in rum. Add ice cubes and top off drink with club soda or seltzer.
Stir drink well and garnish with mint, basil, and lime. Makes 1 drink. Garnish: fresh mint and basil sprigs and lime slices.
See more from the 1990s here.
PREVIOUSLY: The Pisco Sol from Pisco Lounge
The Five-Spice Margarita at Cantina
The Improved Sunrise from Rickhouse
The Grape Drink from Blackbird
Smokin' Stoned Fruit from Conduit
The Promissory Note from The Alembic
Blackberry Shrub
Strawberry Gin Shrub from NOPA
The Naughty Sun Dress from Bourbon & Branch
Gitane's Castillan Cup
Tales of the Cocktail
The Sexy Saint at The Four Seasons
A Roundup of Cocktail Blogs
The Rio Grande Cocktail at 15 Romolo
Old Sydney Town Punch at Elixir
The Vicious Circle from Range
Thirsty Bear's Strawberry Rhubarb Manhazarac
Rock & Rye from Rye
The Black Lavender from Alicia Walton at Elixir
Boulevard's Biscaccianti
DOSA's Batsman
Cantina's Laughing Buddha
If you're a bartender about town and have a cocktail to share, .