What to Drink on World Cocktail Day

By Roger Kamholz in Food on May 13, 2011 4:40PM

Two hundred and five years ago to the day, the first known description of the Cocktail appeared in print. The publication: The Balance and Columbian Repository. The recipe: "...a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters..." The Museum of the American Cocktail has commemorated the appearance of this fateful passage by deeming May 13 World Cocktail Day. And that is what we call a great excuse to have a drink.

The passage, penned by one Harry Crosswell, codified the Cocktail's key ingredients, although the rough makings of the beverage had probably been in existence for far longer. It also reminds us that the term Cocktail was for a long time considered a category of drink unto itself rather than simply a synonym for any mixed drink, as it's used today. That said, the beauty of a Cocktail is how varied it can be. Within those four basic ingredients you have quite a bit of latitude to experiment. Gin, brandy or whiskey - anything, really - could be your base spirit. Sugar could be delivered in its common form, sure, but also as any number of flavored syrups - mint, ginger, lavender, you name it.

Being that it's World Cocktail Day, we thought instead of getting too fancy, we'd honor the history of this drink by having it the old-fashioned way. And how else would we do that besides stirring up an Old Fashioned? Again, recipes for this classic vary a lot. Some folks use bourbon whiskey in theirs. We like rye (and sometimes mezcal), which keeps the final product a bit drier and spicier. We've been served Old Fashioneds with cherries, orange wedges, even toppers of ginger beer. More expedient Old Fashioneds call for syrup over sugar. But in the version below, we keep it pretty slow and simple. But feel free to improve and improvise; that's what Cocktails are all about.

Old Fashioned Cocktail

2 1/4 ounces rye whiskey

1/2 teaspoon sugar

4 dashes Angostura bitters

orange peel

Add sugar and orange peel to a tumbler glass and wet with bitters. Lightly muddle ingredients so sugar begins to dissolve and inside of glass becomes coated in mixture. Add whiskey and ice cubes. Stir for 20 seconds or until mixture is sufficiently diluted.

