Cocktails with alcohol are born from liquors and spirits, which were created by Christian monks in the Middle Ages as herbal remedies against diseases. These were elaborated combining honey, herbs, spices and roots with alcohol to obtain special elixirs.
Cocktail is almost a science, in which the essential components of the cocktail are mixed so that none stand out from the other, but are in perfect harmony and their flavors complement each other.
As established by the IBA (International Barmen Association), a cocktail with alcohol should not contain more than five ingredients in its preparation, also counting those used to decorate it. Normally these five elements are based on three types:
Base drink that gives the predominant flavor and strength, such as rum,
Another modifier to soften or aromatize the base drink, for example, any fruit juice.
And other additional ingredients intended to reinforce the flavor, color and / or presentation, such as Angostura bitters or grenadine.
Where do the famous cocktails come from?
The word cocktail (cocktail in English) comes from the English expression cock's tail which means tail of a cock. There are many versions for all tastes about where this expression comes from. The most accepted are:
In the nineteenth century, in times of Queen Victoria of England, in the Mexican port of the city of San Francisco de Campeche in Yucatan, English merchants used to arrive who, between treatment and treatment, drank the "Dracs", usually rum, or mixed with any other liquor. To make the mixture, the English removed it with metal spoons, giving an unpleasant taste to the brew. However, Mexican natives mixed liquors with the thin, smooth roots of a plant called "cola de gallo" by its similar shape with the tail of the animal. Asking, the English translated it from Castilian, interpreting it as "Cock's tail". It was from here when they called in any combination of ingredients in the same drink
The second, also of the nineteenth century, but with American origin, took place at the meeting of the Mexican king Axolotl VIII and the General Chief of the Army of the Southern States, of the incipient America. The king offered the General a complimentary drink that was served by a beautiful Indian in a single glass. This brought about the problem of distrust of who drank first, before whom the young woman drank it to avoid diplomatic tensions. At the end of the meeting, the General asked the King for the name of the girl. The King, who had never seen her, said: "It's my daughter Cóck-tail." From there, it was popularized among the southern US army in relation to all mixed drink ingredients.
The last, also dates from the XIX but returning to England. In an industrial zone, the workers gathered in the nearby warehouse, to talk about their things and drink something. One afternoon, the innkeeper's daughter, when serving the barrel the liquid that they used to drink, noticed that it was only left to fill a third of a jar. Without thinking, he filled it with other liquids at hand. The workers liked the new mixture and congratulated the girl, begging her to prepare the same thing each day. When asked what that combination was called, the girl did not know what to say. When at that moment, a rooster passed in front of the drinkers and one of them plucked a feather from its tail and used it as a stick to remove the mixture. From there came the name of Cock's tail, which later expanded throughout England.
![]
What classification can cocktails have with alcohol?
The diversity of cocktails with alcohol available is immense, but we are going to classify them into mainly five:
- Direct to the glass: when the ingredients are mixed directly and easily in the glass with ice. There are two types, High Ball (in long glass, like Cubalibre) and On the Rocks (when the glass is short or "old fashioned", like Gin & Tonic). Within these we have two subcategories:
Puosse-coffee, which are mixtures by layers, for example B52 and,
Collins, who prepare by mixing ingredients (soda, lemon and sugar) with the spoon of the bar, in the same glass, as for example the John Collins. If you also add natural water, we have the Fixes.
Mixed: put ice in the glass and mix the ingredients in a mixing glass with the help of a remover or a dancer spoon, with the intention that their ingredients demonstrate uniform color and texture or simply to refresh them. Examples of these are the Manhattan or the Gibson.
Smoothies: they are those of classic preparation in American shaker, beating the content vigorously to mix it with the rest of the ingredients, such as sugar, eggs, creams or other dense ingredients. An example is the Alexander.
Smoothies: they are prepared in a blender until the desired texture is obtained and then they are served directly in the desired glass or glass. Among these we have the Frozzen, which are those prepared in the blender with crushed ice, to obtain a consistency similar to that of a granita, such as Daiquiri, Pina Colada or Margarita.
Flambéados: they are in which to combine them they catch fire. This technique is usually used as it is more attractive in presentation, but also to change the flavor slightly to the combination by decreasing the amount of liquid in a drink, condensing the flavors and making the drink more intensely known. The flambéado is ideal for making it with high-grade liqueurs (40% vol. Or more). An example of flaming is the B52.
source:
https://www.verema.com/blog/licores-destilados/1022979-cocteles-alcohol-