5 Timeless Drinks From the Cocktail Golden Age
The mid-1800s to the start of Prohibition in 1920 is considered a golden age of mixology in the United States. Imbibing alcohol had long been a crucial component of Americans’ social lives, but for many years people mainly drank rudimentary ales, ciders, rums, and whiskeys. That began to change during the Industrial Revolution, with the mass-production of alcoholic spirits. As copious amounts of affordable liquor became available, some ingenious bartenders began to experiment with new cocktail recipes, many of which became highly popular and in turn revolutionized the alcohol industry.
By the middle of the 19th century, many new boozy beverages with complex and decadent flavor profiles were being created, giving rise to a golden age of cocktails — a term first used in 1798 to describe a “drink made from water, sugar, spirits, and bitters,” according to etymonline.com. In 1862, New York City bartender and saloon owner Jerry Thomas — who The New York Times called the “Father of American Mixology” — published The Bar-Tenders’ Guide, which is now widely considered the first cocktail book in U.S. history. This foundational text redefined cocktail-making, bringing innovative mixed drinks to the masses and inspiring future creations. Here’s a look at five timeless drinks that came out of this golden age of cocktails.
Sazerac
Some sources claim the origins of the Sazerac date back to the 1830s, though that date is disputed; according to drinks columnist and cocktail expert David Wondrich, it was more likely invented during the 1880s or 1890s. Whatever the origins, there’s no disputing the Sazerac is still a beloved classic cocktail, particularly among residents of the city where it was created: New Orleans, Louisiana.
The earliest Sazeracs were made using a French brandy called Sazerac de Forge et Fils Cognac, which was mixed with half a teaspoon of cold water, a sugar cube, a lemon peel, and four dashes of bitters. The purported mastermind behind this libation was pharmacist Antoine Amédée Peychaud, who moved from the French colony of St. Domingue to New Orleans around 1800. (Peychaud is also known for selling his namesake bitters, which have become staples of cocktail bars around the world.)
Around 1885, the cognac in the recipe was swapped out for American rye whiskey, which remains the standard spirit used in Sazeracs. The preparation process is also noteworthy: While the drink is mixed in one glass, another chilled cocktail glass is swirled with a wash of absinthe; the ingredients are then poured into the absinthe-scented glass and served immediately. After well over a century of enduring popularity, Sazerac was declared the official cocktail of New Orleans in 2008.
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Old-Fashioned
The old-fashioned cocktail we know today was the result of trial and error throughout the 19th century. One early predecessor was Thomas’ “Gin Cocktail,” which was similar to an old-fashioned but with gin instead of whiskey or bourbon. Credit for the drink as we know it today is often given to the bourbon distiller Colonel James E. Pepper. He is said to have created the cocktail at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky, and then introduced the recipe to bartenders at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City, leading to a rise in its popularity — though it’s possible the story is apocryphal.
Before the name “old-fashioned” was christened, a similar concoction of whiskey mixed with bitters was known as a “Whiskey Cocktail,” according to Difford’s Guide. In the 1870s, bartenders began adding ingredients like absinthe and Chartreuse, so customers began ordering “old-fashioned Whiskey Cocktails” when they wanted a simple drink.
The 1888 Bartenders’ Manual by Theodore Proulx includes one of the earliest printed recipes for the old-fashioned: “one-half lump of sugar… add a little bitters, syrup and absinthe… twist a piece of lemon-peel… drop in two or three pieces of ice, one jigger of whisky… and strain into another glass.” Bartenders and patrons alike loved the drink for its simplicity, as it provided an easy alternative to the increasingly complex cocktails of the time. It wasn’t until the 20th century that several now-commonplace modifications were made to the drink, including adding maraschino cherries and orange zest.
Manhattan
When it comes to the origins of the Manhattan cocktail, the one thing historians know for certain is that it was created in the 19th century. But how it was created remains in dispute, as many of its origin stories are somewhat dubious. The most oft-repeated story claims it was invented in 1874 for a dinner held by Lady Randolph Churchill, Winston Churchill’s mother, in honor of New York Governor Samuel J. Tilden. But historians cast doubt on the claim, suggesting she was actually back in England at the time while pregnant with Winston. Another more probable, yet still uncertain story is that the cocktail was invented by a bartender named “Black” — possibly a man named George Black, according to Difford’s Guide — in the 1860s. Black purportedly worked at a tavern on Houston Street in New York City called the Manhattan Inn, hence the drink’s name.
In any case, the Manhattan cocktail made its way into recipe books in the 1880s. An 1882 column in The Olean Democrat referenced the “Manhattan Cocktail” (also known as a “Turf Club” or “Jockey Club” cocktail) as a mixture of bitters, whiskey, and vermouth. In 1884, recipes for two types of Manhattans appeared in O.H. Byron’s The Modern Bartenders’ Guide. The “Manhattan Cocktail, No. 1” was made using French vermouth, whiskey, Angostura bitters, and gum syrup, while the “No. 2” variant contained “Curacoa,” Angostura bitters, whiskey, Italian vermouth, and ice.
Martini
According to cocktail expert Simon Difford, nobody is certain as to the exact origin of the martini — a classic mix of either gin or vodka and dry vermouth, garnished with a lemon twist or olive. But one of the leading theories is that the martini was derived from a popular boozy beverage called the Martinez. The Martinez, which has unclear origins of its own, is a cocktail made of equal parts gin and sweet vermouth, with a quarter-ounce of maraschino liqueur, a few dashes of Angostura bitters, and an orange twist. Some think that the Martinez was invented by Thomas at his Bay Area saloon for a customer who was traveling to the nearby city of Martinez, California. But those who live in the city of Martinez itself say that it was created by a local bartender. Either way, the first known printed recipe for a Martinez appeared in Byron’s 1884 cocktail guide.
The first known print recipe for a “Martini Cocktail,” meanwhile, appeared four years later in Harry Johnson’s Bartender Manual. The drink contained gum syrup, bitters (specifically the Boker’s brand), “curacoa” (curaçao), Old Tom gin, and vermouth. This recipe was quite similar to that of another cocktail at the time, the Marguerite, which was made with Plymouth gin, French vermouth, and orange bitters. It wasn’t long until the very first recipe for a “Dry Martini” was printed, in the 1904 French cocktail book American-Bar Recettes des Boissons Anglaises et Américaine. The recipe specifically called for dry vermouth in place of the sweeter vermouths that were commonly used at the time. Martini recipes became simpler as time went on, and both curaçao and orange bitters were largely removed by the 1940s.
Blue Blazer
Though the drink has fallen out of fashion, the Blue Blazer was one of the most spectacular cocktails created during the golden age. Its origins date back to the 1850s, but it became a widespread sensation after Thomas’ Bar-Tenders’ Guide was published in 1862. Thomas purportedly conceived of the Blue Blazer while working at a gambling saloon in San Francisco. The drink itself was rather simple, but the showmanship that accompanied it won over the hearts of patrons.
The recipe is reminiscent of what we know today as a hot toddy, and begins by mixing “1 wine-glass” of Scotch whisky with boiling water in a silver-plated mug. The mug is then lit aflame, and its fiery contents are poured between two mugs “four or five times,” creating a visually stunning arc of blue flame. Per the instructions, you then add one teaspoon of white sugar and a lemon peel to cap it all off. This dramatic performance delighted onlookers, including Ulysses S. Grant, who once witnessed Thomas make the drink firsthand.
