WHERE THE COCKTAILS COME FROM
We have ever asked you where the cocktails are from or what their origin is, here we explain how they were created.
The beginning of cocktails comes from the origin of spirits and spirits, which were created by Christian monks in the Middle Ages as herbal remedies against some diseases of that time. These elaborated combined honey, herbs, spices and roots with alcohol to obtain special elixirs.
Cocktail making is almost a science, in which the essential components of the cocktail are mixed so that no one stands out more than the other ingredients, but they are in perfect harmony and their flavors are complemented by others. As established by the IBA (International Barmen Association), an alcoholic cocktail should not contain more than five ingredients in its preparation, also contacting those used to decorate it. Generally these five elements are based on three types:
– Base drink that provides the predominant flavor and strength, such as rum
– Another modification to soften or flavor the base drink, for example, any fruit juice.
– And other additional ingredients required to complex the flavor, color and / or presentation, such as Angostura bitters or grenadines.
The word cocktail (cocktail in English) of the English expression cola de gallo which means cock’s tail. There are versions for all tastes about where they found this expression. 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, they used to arrive at the English markets that between treatment they drank the “Dracs”, usually rum, or mixed with any other liquor. To make the mixture, the English stirred it with metal spoons, giving the concoction an unpleasant taste. However, the indigenous Mexicans mixed the liqueurs with the thin and smooth roots of a plant that they called “cola de gallo” there because of its shape similar to the animal’s tail. When asked, the English translated it from Spanish, interpreting it as “Cola de gallo”. It was from here when they called any combination of ingredients in the same drink.
The second, also from the 19th century, but with American origin, took place at the meeting of the Mexican king Axolotl VIII and the Chief General of the Army of the Southern States of the incipient America. The king offered the General a courtesy drink that was served by a beautiful Indian in a single glass.
This brought about the problem of distrust of who drank first, before which the young woman drank her to avoid diplomatic tensions. At the end of the meeting the General asked the King for the girl’s name. The King, who had never seen her, said: “She is my Cocktail daughter.” From there, it became popular with the southern US military in relation to all mixed ingredients drinks.
The last one, also dates from the XIX but returning to England. In an industrial area, the workers met in the nearby warehouse, to talk about their things and have a drink. One afternoon, the innkeeper’s daughter, pouring the liquid they used to drink from the barrel, noticed that there was only one third of a jug left to fill. Without thinking, he filled it with other liquids on hand. The workers liked the new mix and congratulated the girl, begging her to prepare the same for them every 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 the tail and used it as a stick to stir the mixture. Hence the name of Cock’s tail, which later spread throughout England.
This is a preview review of the cocktail began and where it comes from I hope you liked this little story to know a little about this mixture of flavors.