TABLE OF CONTENTS
Best Western American Cocktail Types
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Lava Flow is a Hawaiian cocktail with numerous variations. It can be blended or shaken. The blended version is typically made with a combination of coconut rum, light rum, pineapple juice, coconut cream, bananas, and frozen strawberries.
In order to prepare it, rums and strawberries are blended separately from other ingredients, but they are later combined in a collins or hurricane glass so that the strawberries swirl in the drink, creating an effect similar to that of lava flow. If shaken, strawberries and a slice of banana should be muddled in the bottom of a glass, then combined with ice and shaken coconut cream, pineapple juice, and rum.
The cocktail is then garnished with a pineapple wedge and a paper parasol, if desired.
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Mai Tai is a popular rum-based cocktail originating from Oakland in 1944. Its name means good in Tahitian. In addition to rum, which can be both spiced and coconut flavored, the cocktail contains lime juice, orgeat syrup, and orange liqueur, typically curaçao, but in some versions it can include grapefruit juice, bitters, or grenadine.
All ingredients should be vigorously shaken with ice for a few minutes before the cocktail is strained into an old-fashioned glass. Before serving, Mai Tai is traditionally garnished with fruits such as pineapple, orange, and cherries. It became a trendy cocktail in the 1950s, when Elvis Presley promoted it in his movie, and since then it is heavily associated with Tiki culture and Polynesian-style settings.
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Tequila Sunrise is a classic cocktail that evokes a summer sunrise in a glass. It is made with three basic ingredients: tequila, orange juice, and grenadine syrup. The cocktail was invented around 1930 with a base of tequila and lime juice, soda water, and crème de cassis, but the modern version originated in the 1970s in Sausalito, California, when the cocktail gained a huge leap in popularity because Mick Jagger named the Rolling Stones' tour after it.
A traditional way to serve Tequila Sunrise is on the rocks, unmixed, in a tall collins glass, but when presented in a highball glass, the color of its combined ingredients (with grenadine poured slowly through the glass) resembles a sunrise even better.
VARIATIONS OF Tequila Sunrise
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White Russian cocktail is made with a combination of vodka, cream, and coffee liqueur. To prepare it, vodka and coffee liqueur are poured into an old-fashioned glass over ice. Cream is then floated on top, and the whole combination is gently stirred with a straw.
The drink is named after its key ingredient, vodka, which is typically associated with Russia. White Russian gained huge popularity in 1998, when the cult classic The Big Lebowski was released - the main character in the movie, called The Dude, drinks White Russians throughout the movie.
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This refreshing cocktail is made with a combination of vodka (preferably of the Citron variety), triple sec, and freshly squeezed lemon juice. To prepare Lemon Drop Martini, all ingredients are shaken and strained into a chilled cocktail glass.
The glass should be rimmed with sugar and garnished with a lemon slice. It is believed that the cocktail was invented in the 1970s by Norman Jay Hobday in San Francisco. Originally, it consisted only of vodka, sugar, and lemon juice, and it was inspired by the lemon drop candy.
Zombie is a Tiki cocktail that was invented in the late 1930s in Los Angeles by Donn Beach. The cocktail is named Zombie after the way it affects the drinkers. The drink is made with demerara rum, golden rum, dark rum, 151 proof Lemon Hart, falernum, lime juice, grenadine, Pernod, Angostura bitters, and Don's mix.
However, some variations include absinthe or triple sec, which makes the cocktail even stronger. This high-powered cocktail is prepared by shaking all the ingredients together, except for the 151 proof rum, which is added on top of the drink and can even can be ignited at this point.
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Appletini consists of vodka and one or more of these beverages: apple juice, apple cider, apple liqueur, or apple brandy such as Calvados. This modern cocktail was invented in Los Angeles in 1996, and it is also known as Apple Martini or Adam's Apple Martini.
Vodka may be substituted with gin, and in some variations, vermouth can be included in the combination. One of the most popular variations is known as Rumpletini, made with light rum instead of vodka. Appletini continues to gain fame through pop culture, with frequent mentions in famous TV shows such as Scrubs, Two and a Half Men, Mr. Robot, and How I Met Your Mother, and after the release of the movie Social Network, Mark Zuckerberg declared Appletini Facebook’s official drink.
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This Prohibition-era cocktail is made with a combination of gin, lemon juice, and honey. In order to prepare it, all ingredients should be shaken with ice, then strained into a cocktail glass. The cocktail is typically garnished with a lemon peel.
The name Bees Knees is a Prohibition-era slang, meaning the best. Originally, the drink was prepared with lemon and honey in order to mask the unpleasant smell of bathtub gin. The first written recipe can be traced back to 1930 in San Francisco, where it appeared in bartender Bill Boothby’s compendium called World Drinks and How to Mix Them.
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Bay Breeze is a refreshing cocktail with Hawaiian origins. It consists of vodka and cranberry juice as its base, with an addition of pineapple juice. This elegant, layered cocktail is sometimes also referred to as Downeaster, Hawaiian Sea Breeze, or Paul Joseph.
The tropical cocktail is constructed by gently building layers of ingredients in a glass, starting with the ingredients which have the highest sugar content (poured over ice) and subsequently adding other components with lower sugar content on top.
Bay Breeze is typically served without stirring in a highball glass, and it is garnished with a slice of pineapple, lime, or orange.
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The famous tropical cocktail known as Blue Hawaii is made with a combination of rum, pineapple juice, curaçao, and sweet and sour mix. Vodka can also be added to the combination as well. The ingredients are stirred or shaken with ice, and the cocktail is garnished with a cocktail cherry and pineapple or orange slices.
A single cocktail umbrella is also preferred, but it is not mandatory. It is believed that the first version of Blue Hawaii was invented in 1957 in Waikiki by a bartender named Harry Yee. The cocktail is nowadays mostly associated with summer and warm weather.
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