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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.

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.

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.