The Dark Ages

1970-1990

Disco killed the cocktail! During a period of extreme technological advances, including the invention of the soda gun and bottled mixers, cocktail making became much easier but argumentatively less artistic. With now quicker methods to prepare cocktails, the time-consuming process of carefully crafting cocktails felt absurd (“Dark Ages”). Alcohol sales were also now fighting with hallucinogenic drug sales. Alcohol became an accessory to people’s drug usage to amp up their high. The bar scene had changed to a gathering ground for people to get intoxicated, dance, and hook up (Ross). Two-ingredient cocktails including rum and coke and vodka crans became bar staples because people just wanted a drink that was cheap and would most effectively get them drunk fast. Bars’ focuses were no longer to make a well-crafted cocktail, but rather pour easy drinks that would get their patrons intoxicated so they would buy more drinks. Despite the uncreative crafting during this period, there are still some iconic cocktails that popped up.

Tequila Sunrise

The Tequila Sunrise is a simple and colorful cocktail with a fascinating history with classic rock bands. The original Tequila Sunrise was created by Gene Sulit at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel and consisted of soda water, lime juice, and tequila (“Tequila Sunrise”). By the 1970s, the original Tequila Sunrise made its way farther west, landing in the Bay Area of California. Bartenders Bobby Lazoff and Billy Rice at the Trident bar in Sausalito, California reinvented the Tequila Sunrise to fit its name better. The new Tequila Sunrise recipe did not receive notoriety until Bill Graham, a famous rock concert promoter, was throwing a private party at the Trident to kick off The Rolling Stones’s 1972 American tour. Mick Jagger, the lead singer of The Rolling Stones, ordered some for his band and entourage and it became their go-to drink while on tour. They ordered the Tequila Sunrise at every town they stopped at and spread it nationwide. In 1973, another legendary rock band from California, The Eagles, named one of their songs “Tequila Sunrise” cementing the cocktail’s legacy in rock n’ roll history.

Recipe

Glass: Highball Tools: Stirrer

2 oz. Tequila 4 oz. Orange Juice 1/4 oz. Grenadine 1 Orange Wedge 1 Maraschino Cherry

1. Pour the tequila followed by the orange juice into a glass with ice 2. Top with grenadine, which will sink to the bottom 3. Garnish with an orange wedge and a maraschino cherry

Old-Fashion Tip:

Make the original 1930s version of the Tequila Sunrise. Fill a highball glass with ice and pour 1 1/2 oz. tequila, 3/4 oz. crème de casis, and a squeeze of lime juice. Top off with club soda and garnish with a lime wedge.

Long Island Iced Tea

There are two perceived origin stories for the Long Island Iced Tea from two different Long Islands. One from Long Island, Tennessee, and the other from Long Island, New York. The first origin goes that back during the Prohibition era, a man known as “Old Man Bishop” from a community named Long Island in Kingsport, Tennessee claimed to have made the first version of the Long Island Iced Tea (Goicochea). His version is slightly different using maple syrup instead of cola, but shares the same combination of different liqueurs. He creatively named this drink the “Old Man Bishop” and the choice of the high alcohol content because people needed to get drunk off of less alcohol since it was not free-flowing. The other origin goes that it was invented during a cocktail-crafting competition in 1972. Long Island, Newyork bartender, Robert Butt, claims to have invented the original Long Island Iced Tea as his entry for the competition. It is unclear who made the original Long Island Iced Tea, but after drinking it you will not remember much anyways.

Recipe

Glass: Highball Tools: Stirrer

3/4 oz. Vodka 3/4 oz. White Rum 3/4 oz. Silver Tequila 3/4 oz. Gin 3/4 oz. Triple Sec 3/4 oz. Simple Syrup 3/4 oz. Lemon Juice Cola 1 Lemon Wedge

1. Pour the vodka, white rum, silver tequila, gin, triple sec, simple syrup, and lemon juice into a glass filled with ice 2. Top off with a splash of cola and stir 3. Garnish with a lemon wedge 4. Serve with a straw

Sex on the Beach

The Sex on Beach cocktail is a spring break staple for beach bars. The drink is attributed to Ted Pizio, a bartender at Confetti’s Bar in Jacksonville, Florida. Peach schnapps was invented in 1984 by Dekuyper Royal Distilling (“Sex on the Beach”). In 1987, Dekuyper ran a promotion for bartenders in the Florida beach area challenging them to sell the most peach schnapps. Pizio concocted a drink targeted at the Spring Break tourist clientele using the peach schnapps. How the Sex on the Beach got its vulgar but iconic name was from Pizio naming it after why he thought spring-breakers came to Florida: “sex” and “the beach.” The drink was quickly picked up by TGI Friday who, at the time, had a good reputation for cocktail making and helped popularize it and made it the classic drink of the 80s and 90s. The Sex on the Beach is not as popular at twenty-firstcentury bars, but has embedded itself into pop culture. The Sex on the Beach is mentioned in hit songs including “California Girls” by Katy Perry and “Cake by the Ocean” by DNCE and is used as the butt of a joke in several TV shows.

Recipe

Glass: Hurricane Tools: Shaker, Strainer

1 1/2 oz. Vodka 1/2 oz. Peach Schnapps 1 1/2 oz. Orange Juice 1 1/2 oz. Cranberry Juice 1 Orange Wedge

1. Add vodka, peach schnapps, and orange juice into a shaker with ice and shake well 2. Strain into a glass over ice 3. Top with cranberry juice 4. Garnish with an orange wedge

Old-Fashion Tip:

The Sex on the Beach cocktail is a combination of two cocktail recipes. Half Fuzzy Navel which is 3 oz. orange juice and 3 oz. peach schnapps, and half Cape Codder which is 4 oz. cranberry juice and 2 oz. vodka.

Espresso Martini

The Espresso Martini is sure to wake you up and significantly extend your night out. This espresso-based cocktail was created in the 1980s by the British bartender Dick Bradsell at Fred’s Club in London (“Espresso Martini”). Bradsell is credited with revolutionizing the London cocktail scene in the 80s and has created several modern cocktails. The story goes that an undisclosed “top model” came into Bradsell’s bar and asked for a drink that will “wake me up and fuck me up.” Bradsell took on the challenge and made a drink combining the two ingredients that could accomplish both: espresso and vodka. Garnishing the cocktail with three coffee beans has become the Espresso Martini’s trademark. According to a tradition in Italy, it is said that the coffee beans represent health, wealth, and happiness; all things you are going to need on your night out.

Recipe

Glass: Martini Tools: Shaker, Strainer

2 oz. Vodka 1/2 oz. Coffee Liqueur 1 oz. Espresso 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup 3 Coffee Beans

1. Add vodka, coffee liqueur, espresso, and simple syrup into a shaker with ice and shake well 2. Strain into a glass 3. Garnish with 3 coffee beans

Old-Fashion Tip:

If you have an espresso machine, pour a shot and chill in freezer. This will make sure that the hot liquid doesn’t melt the ice. If you don’t have an espresso machine, you can use cold brew concentrate as an alternative.