Build your Cocktail Box

Florence 1919, maybe 1920. As usual, Count Camillo is at the Caffè Casoni. Yet he is in the mood for something a little stronger than his customary Americano. Inspired by recent trips to London, he asks barman Fosco Scarzelli to replace the soda water with a dash of gin instead. And so the ‘American aperitif Count Negroni-style’ is born. One of the all-time classic aperitivos. And perhaps the ultimate aperitivo full stop.

The Cosmopolitan is a modern classic. Many believe it to be created by Cheryl Cook in the 1980s. The Martini Queen of South Beach wanted to give her signature drink a twist - and a colour - that would appeal to women. Well, it worked The glamorous Cosmo found fame on Sex and the City. Having said all that...a similar recipe appears in Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars 1903-1933. A modern Martini? Or a classic reinvented? It’s your bar... you decide.

The Gimlet goes back to The Savoy Cocktail Book of 1930. Raymond Chandler described it in his classic novel The Long Goodbye as half gin and half lime cordial. According to him “it beats martinis hollow.” As for the name, forget world-famous bartenders. Legend attributes it to Surgeon Admiral Sir Thomas Gimlette of the Royal Navy. He added lime cordial to his sailors’ daily tot of gin to keep scurvy at bay on long ocean voyages. And the Gimlet has stood the test of time, a classic cocktail perfect for warm summer evenings, whether or not you are out at sea.

We all know the classic Margarita. So who is Tommy? And what makes his drink so different? Well, it was actually created by Julio Bermejo. He named it after his family's Mexican bar/restaurant in San Francisco - the self-proclaimed premier tequila bar on earth. Now also a destination for many of the premier bartenders and bar flies on earth as well. Tommy's adds a Mexican twist by replacing the triple sec of a classic Margarita with sweet agave syrup.

Mother Russia. You might think of vast desert steppes. Chilling Siberian winters. Endless rolling plains. Well, think again. On a recent visit to St Petersburg, NIO Cocktails Head Mixologist Patrick Pistolesi takes a stroll around the stunning Summer Gardens. The early spring bloom is as unexpected as it is intense. Colourful. Perfumed. Unforgettable. Inspired, he sets out to recreate the experience. The result is a sophisticated NIO signature cocktail. A magical flower garden in a glass.

The Manhattan has outlasted prohibition. Survived countless trends. And is widely regarded as one of the greatest ever cocktails. If you believe the legend, it was first mixed in 1870 at a New York reception held by Jennie Jerome, the mother of Winston Churchill. The venue? The Manhattan Club, where else? Or so the story goes... Now you can find it on drinks lists around the world, and in your very own cocktail bar too.

It’s winter. An Alpine chalet and an open fire. NIO Cocktails Head Mixologist Patrick Pistolesi is in the mood for a gin-based drink before dinner. Something a little different. Something unexpected. The answer is simple. With the permission of the bartender, Patrick goes ahead and creates a perfectly perfumed signature cocktail for the curious gin lover. The Gin Proved is equally at home on a snow-covered slope as it is on a sun-soaked beach.

The origins of this cocktail go so far back that it's tough to trust anyone who says they created it. The original drink was named the 'Whiskey Cocktail', as it reflected the characteristics of the classic cocktail formula laid down in 1806; spirit, sugar, water and bitters. The proliferation of new liqueurs available to bartenders from the 1870s resulted in a treadmill of new 'improved' Whiskey Cocktails... but which also led to a revolt amongst those who yearned for the original drink. Hence the Old Fashioned Whiskey Cocktail.

It is the end of the 19th century. The US and Spain are at war. US vessel The Maine sinks off the coast of Havana. One of the survivors reaches the shore. Thank goodness. Because he washes up in a village called...Daiquiri. Shipwrecks tend to give you a thirst and so he heads to the local bar. Straight rum seems a little strong. He adds lime juice. Too tart. He adds sugar. Perfect. The Daiquiri is made to drink cold and clean. A white sandy Cuban beach is optional.

Late summer. Evening on a Mediterranean beach. The sun melts to lava and slowly pours into the sea. A group of friends...a fire...an all-time classic song. NIO Cocktails Head Mixologist Patrick Pistolesi wants the moment to last forever. He captures it in his own inspired way. This elegant signature cocktail manages to taste intense and spicy, soft and sweet. You’ll get a freshness from vanilla. A warmth from coffee and bourbon. And a texture like sun.

Legend says that Gaspare Campari first served the Milano-Torino at his Milan café in 1860. Milan is the birthplace of Campari. Turin the home of sweet vermouth. Mix the two directly in a glass. Garnish with orange peel. And you have a classic right there. In fact, the Mi-To proved so popular it went on to inspire a new generation of bitter-sweet cocktails such as the Americano (with a dash of soda) and the Negroni (with an equal measure of gin).

The Boulevardier was born at Harry’s New York Bar, Paris. A regular face here was Erskine Gwynne. American socialite. Founder of literary magazine The Boulevardier (best read before, during and after cocktails). And creator of the namesake drink - as mixed by renowned bartender Harry McElhone. A kind of Negroni made from bourbon rather than gin, The Boulevardier transports you to the polished wood and leather banquettes of the world’s most legendary cocktail bar.

The Whisky Sour was first mentioned in the seminal The Bartender’s Guide: How To Mix Drinks in 1862. Sailors of the Royal Navy had been drinking a very similar concoction for decades. Yet many give the credit for this whiskey-based version to intrepid Englishman Elliott Stubb. He ended up in Iquique, then a part of Peru. He opened a bar – what else? Mixed local limon de pica with whisky and sugar. And created an all-time classic.