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 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.

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.

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.