In the world of cocktail recipes, a name can matter a lot. A name can make a cocktail sound exotic, interesting, or just tasty. Or a name can be designed to funny or silly. But ultimately, the name of a cocktail should be enticing. While something like the Corpse Reviver No. 2 isn’t really the most appetising cocktail name, it raises interest.
But sometimes cocktail creators are lazy. They don’t come up with an interesting name and just name their new creation after wherever their cocktail was created. Or maybe it’s a signature cocktail for a certain bar, so it’s just named after that bar.
Whatever way you look at it, these cocktails that are named after places aren’t the most creative when it comes to what to call them, but they are certainly enjoyable.
Before we go into it though, we’re going to ignore some recipes like the Moscow Mule or variations like the London Mule. “Mule” is really just a classification of cocktail and the Moscow/London precursor is really about the spirit being used and not to name the cocktail recipe after a specific place. Similarly we’re going to ignore the myriad of cocktails with Irish/Mexican/Italian, etc. in front of the name just because it has Whiskey/Tequila/Amaretto in it.
We’re also going to ignore a lot of Tiki cocktails like the Blue Hawaiian.
Here’s some cocktails named after places.
Martinez
We’ll start with the Martinez. The Martinez was likely one of the main inspirations behind the Gin Martini, and comes to us from Martinez, California, which is just outside of the wider San Francisco Bay area.
At least that’s what we think. We think the cocktail originated in Martinez, California, but we can’t always be too sure about these things. It’s also possible and likely that the Martinez was created in the “general area” and whoever created just liked Martinez as a town and wanted to honour it with a cocktail.
Try one for yourself and see what you think.
Chicago Fizz
Fizz cocktails are awesome, there’s no denying that. And one of those great fizz style cocktails is the Chicago Fizz. Sure, it’s a little more involved than your simple Gin Fizz, but it’s also well worth the extra ingredients.
Kind of like the Martinez, we don’t know where the Chicago Fizz was first invented, but, judging by the name, it was probably invented in Chicago.
Fizz cocktails are a classification of their own, so it’s likely a bartender in Chicago took a basic Rum Fizz recipe and improved upon it. And the drink was born!
New Orleans Fizz
Staying with fizz cocktails, we have the New Orleans Fizz. This is another very famous fizz cocktail, obviously originating in New Orleans.
Unlike so many cocktails, however, we have a bit more information on the origins of the New Orleans Fizz. Sometimes called the Ramos Gin Fizz, we know that the New Orleans Fizz was invented by Henry C. Ramos in 1888 where it was served at the Imperial Cabinet Saloon in New Orleans.
This cocktail got super popular at the Imperial, but it took about 12 minutes of shaking to make properly. To supply the demand, the Imperial ended up hiring 20 bartenders just to serve this cocktail.
Manhattan
We’re going to assume that almost everybody has heard of the Manhattan, even if they may not have actually ever tried one. If you’re one of those people who’s never tried a Manhattan, why not? It’s a pretty simple cocktail made of Rye, Sweet Vermouth, and Bitters. That’s it!
The Manhattan has been around since the late 1800’s and likely came from the Manhattan Club in New York. So, in a roundabout way, the Manhattan isn’t named after the island of Manhattan, but after the club. But the club is name after the island so…
On the other hand, though, there’s also evidence out there to suggest the Manhattan wasn’t invented at the Manhattan Club but was actually served in a variety of places around New York. So maybe it was directly named after the island after all.
New York Sour
The New York Sour is named after, well, New York. Despite the name, it’s actually unlikely the New York Sour actually came from New York! The best evidence we have suggests that the New York Sour was actually created in Chicago in the late 1800’s. Sometimes also called the Continental Sour or the Southern Whiskey Sour, we’re not sure why it was eventually called the New York Sour and not the Chicago Sour.
Either way, if you like a Whiskey Sour, add the New York Sour to your menu for something different.
Bronx Cocktail
And here’s a third cocktail named after an area of New York, the Bronx Cocktail! The Bronx Cocktail is a mixture of Gin, Sweet and Dry Vermouth, and Orange Juice.
But, like a few cocktail recipes on this list, it’s possible the Bronx Cocktail wasn’t even first created in the Bronx. There’s some evidence that the cocktail actually first originated in Philadelphia. Why people from Philadelphia decided to call this the Bronx Cocktail, we’ll likely never know.
Singapore Sling
Although there are a ton more cocktails named after places in New York (including cocktails named after specific bars in New York), we want to cast a wide net of cocktails named after places. So here’s the Singapore Sling!
Unlike so many cocktails on this list, we actually know the origins of this recipe! This cocktail recipe first came to us from the Raffles Hotel in Singapore and was first made in the early 1900’s. Raffles is one of the most famous hotels in the world, so it’s no wonder people actually remembered where the Singapore Sling first came about.
Kansas City Ice Water
The Kansas City Ice Water is actually a pretty simple cocktail. All you need is Gin, Vodka, Lime Juice, Triple Sec, and Lemon Lime Soda. That may sound like a lot of ingredients, but they’re all common ingredients, especially in home bars. So if you’re trying to figure out what cocktails you can make with what ingredients you have, this is an easy pick.
While there’s no specific history for the Kansas City Ice Water, it’s such a simple mixture, it’s probably a recipe that evolved naturally over time. Adding Gin or Vodka to Lemon Lime Soda isn’t the biggest stretch for a quick mixed drink, so why not add both? Then a little Triple Sec to make things more interesting, and you have a cocktail!
Pegu Club Cocktail
Cocktail don’t have to just be named after cities, they can also be named after bars and clubs. So we’ll round out this article with a couple cocktails named after the drinking establishment they were first made in. Here’s the Pegu Club Cocktail!
The Pegu Club (the club, not the cocktail), was a club in Burma during the late 1800’s that was usually frequented by British officials of the day, as Burma was an English colony. The club’s signature cocktail, the Pegu Club Cocktail was popular. From there, one would assume the recipe was brough around the world by returning English officials.
Clover Club Cocktail
Last on our list of cocktails named after places is the Clover Club Cocktail.
The Clover Club was a gentlemen’s club in Philadelphia in the 1800’s. Back then, gentlemen’s clubs were sophisticated establishments which rich men could sit, smoke a cigar, have a cocktail or two, and talk business.
As with the Pegu Club Cocktail, the Clover Club Cocktail was a signature cocktail of the establishment. While there was an exclusive element to the Clover Club (the establishment), eventually secrets get out and this cocktail became well known.
What’s Your Favourite?
We’ve barely scratched the surface for cocktails named after places, but at some point you need to stop reading about cocktails and start drinking some cocktails!
So, do you have any favourites? Or did we miss out on a recipe that you think is better? Let us know!
