A cocktail is a mixed drink, usually alcoholic. Most commonly, a cocktail is a combination of one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients, such as juices, flavored syrups, tonic water, shrubs, and bitters. Cocktails vary widely across regions of the world, and many websites publish both original recipes and their own interpretations of older and more famous cocktails.
A bar, also known as a saloon, a tavern or tippling house, or sometimes as a pub or club, is an retail business that serves alcoholic beverages, such as beer, wine, liquor, cocktails, and other beverages such as mineral water and soft drinks. Bars often also sell snack foods, such as crisps or peanuts, for consumption on their premises. Some types of bars, such as pubs, may also serve food from a restaurant menu. The term "bar" refers to the countertop where drinks are prepared and served, and by extension to the overall premises.
The sidecar is a cocktail traditionally made with brandy, orange liqueur, and lemon juice. It became popular in Paris and London in the early 1920s. Common modifications of the original recipe are a sugar rim, added sugar syrup, and an orange twist or lemon twist.
A bartender is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but also occasionally at private parties. Bartenders also usually maintain the supplies and inventory for the bar. As well as serving beer and wine, a bartender can generally also mix classic cocktails such as a Cosmopolitan, Manhattan, Old Fashioned, and Mojito.
A pisco sour is an alcoholic cocktail of Peruvian origin that is traditional to both Peruvian and Chilean cuisine. The drink's name comes from pisco, a brandy which is its base liquor, and the cocktail term sour, implying sour citrus juice and sweetener components. The Peruvian pisco sour uses Peruvian pisco and adds freshly squeezed lime juice, simple syrup, ice, egg white, and Angostura bitters. The Chilean version is similar, but uses Chilean pisco and Pica lime, and excludes the bitters and egg white. Other variants of the cocktail include those created with fruits like pineapple or plants such as coca leaves.
Various unique terminology is used in bartending.
A Jack Rose is a cocktail containing applejack, grenadine, and lemon or lime juice. It was popular in the 1920s and 1930s, notably appearing in Ernest Hemingway's 1926 classic, The Sun Also Rises, in which Jake Barnes, the narrator, drinks a Jack Rose in the bar of the Hôtel de Crillon while awaiting the arrival of Lady Brett Ashley. It was also a favorite drink of author John Steinbeck.
The Museum of the American Cocktail, based in New Orleans, Louisiana, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to education in mixology and preserving the rich history of the cocktail as developed in the United States. Among its events are tastings in association with specific seminars or exhibits. It annually presents the American Cocktail Awards, together with the United States Bartenders Guild.
Brian Van Flandern is an American mixologist, spirits historian, and award-winning cocktail book author. He has been called "America's Top Mixologist" by Food Network. His book, Vintage Cocktails, won the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards|Gourmand World Cookbook Award for best Cocktail book in the World 2009.
Atilla Iskif is a British, Turkish flair bartender. He has earned accolades internationally in several countries. He is a four-time Bar Show Champion and a global social media star with millions of followers. He leverages his experience and knowledge to train bartenders all around the globe, having trained around 2000 bartenders in 15 countries. Atilla gained notable recognition on the BBC 6 O’clock News in London while representing the UK at the World Championships in Cuba. In 2009, he played a crucial role in popularizing performance bartending, captivating audiences, judges, and viewers at home with his remarkable performance on Britain’s Got Talent, Atilla gained millions of followers across the social media accounts as well as managing the entire bar operations at celebrity Chefs Nusret Salbae Restaurants in United States.
Cheryl Charming is an American bar professional and published author of 16 books on cocktails and bartending. She currently works as the Bar Director at the Bourbon "O” Bar in New Orleans, Louisiana, and in 2014 was named the New Orleans Magazine Mixologist of the Year. She is nationally known for her bartending and books.
Ada Coleman (1875–1966) was head bartender at the Savoy Hotel in London for 23 years, one of only three women to have held that position. While working at the Savoy, she invented the "hanky panky", a distinctive variation on the sweet martini cocktail.
Lynnette Marrero is an American bartender, mixologist, and philanthropist known for creating the world's first all-female speed bartending competition, "Speed Rack." She is widely regarded as one of the pioneer female cocktail-specific bartenders in the industry, and is based in New York City.
Juyoung Kang is an American bartender. Kang serves as the head bartender at The Dorsey at The Venetian in Las Vegas, Nevada in the United States. Her work has been featured on KNPR and in The Atlantic, GQ, Food & Wine, Men's Health, ForbesLas Vegas Weekly and Eater. Kang was named "Most Imaginative Bartender of the Year" by the United States Bartenders' Guild and Bombay Sapphire in 2014 and the following year, she was named the Nevada Restaurant Association's Bartender of the Year. She was named one of Wine Enthusiast's top "40 Under 40 Tastemakers" in 2017.
Expatriate is a restaurant and cocktail bar in northeast Portland, Oregon's Concordia neighborhood, in the United States.
Julie Reiner is an American mixologist, club owner, and author. Reiner is one of New York's most influential bar owners, having established the Flatiron Lounge, Lani Kai, and the Clover Club. Major publications have featured Reiner's drink recipes, including The Wall Street Journal, Playboy, Esquire, GQ, and Time Out London. Reiner has trained many female bartenders.
Gary "Gaz" Regan was a British-born bartender and a writer in the United States. He was known for his book The Joy of Mixology.
Natasha David is a German-born American bartender, mixologist, and author. In 2014, David opened the critically acclaimed cocktail bar Nitecap on New York's Lower East Side. David has also competed on Iron Chef America. In 2022, David authored the cocktail recipe book Drink Lightly. Her cocktail recipes have been featured in many publications and books, such as New York Times, Bon Appetit, and The Essential Cocktail Book. David has also been awarded as Zagat's 30 under 30, Eater's Bartender of the Year, StarChef's Rising Star, and Imbibe Bartender of the Year. Her consultancy company You & Me Cocktail is responsible for notable projects such as Paul Sevigny’s Baby Grand and the revamp of Pravda‘s cocktail program.
Tiffanie Barriere is a master mixologist and spirits educator, who is also known by her nickname - “The Drinking Coach.” She was the beverage director for seven years at One Flew South restaurant in Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, which was voted the Best Airport Bar in the World in 2014 by Tales of the Cocktail and nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award under her leadership.
