In recent years, the world of cocktail making has been a source of innovation: brining in fresh ingredients and presentations, but consistently returning to the classics. See five classic recipes below to make the drink menu look good in your establishment:

1. New York Sour

The drink is believed to have been created by a Chicago bartender around 1880. Originally called the Continental Sour, its name probably changed after it became more popular in Manhattan. It is a classic whiskey, aesthetically more interesting due to the addition of wine. 

Ingredients 

for one glass

Half a jigger of dry red wine

2 jiggers of whiskey

4 ice cubes

Half of a lemon, squeezed 

1 tablespoon sugar

1 half-moon lemon slice

How to 

Start by adding four ice cubes to a lowball glass. Squeeze the half lemon over the ice and add the two jiggers of whiskey. Add a tablespoon of sugar and stir. Next, add the lemon slice and half jigger of dry red wine to finish.

2. Sangria

The origins of sangria trace back to ancient Rome, where wine was added to water to kill bacteria. It didn’t take long for the Romans to start adding herbs and spices to mask the taste of the wine, which also wasn’t the best. The drink, called hippocras at the time, is the common ancestor of sangria and mulled wine. 

Ingredients 

for a large pitcher

1 chopped apple

1 chopped orange; 

3 slices pineapple, chopped

10 grapes, sliced in half

700 ml dry red wine

400 ml orange juice 

1 can of lime soda

Sugar to taste

Orange peel to decorate

How to 

Mix all the chilled ingredients and sweeten to taste.

At serving time, decorate with orange peel attached to the lip of the pitcher.

Serve chilled.

3. Daiquiri

The Daiquiri is a cousin of the Canchanchara, a 19th century Cuban drink made of rum, lemon juice, honey and water. The Daiquiri as we know it, however, is credited to American engineer Jennings Stockton Cox in the early 20th century.

Ingredients 

60 ml rum

30 ml fresh lime juice

15 ml simple syrup 

Ice

How to  

Add all the ingredients to the cocktail shaker and shake well.

Strain the liquid into a pre-chilled martini glass.

Add the ice.

4. Clericot

The Clericot is a British invention: legend has it that British settlers in the Punjab region of India created the drink to cool off from the heat – called a “claret cup” at the time because it included claret wine. During the wave of British immigration to Argentina and Uruguay, Spanish speakers changed its pronunciation to Clericot, and the red claret wine was replaced with white wine.   

Ingredients 

for a small pitcher

300 ml dry white wine

3 strawberries

sugar 

ice

mint leaves

How to 

Start by separating and washing the fruit. Cut the strawberries into thin slices.

Put the white wine, fruits and mint leaves in a glass pitcher. Mix well. Leave it in the refrigerator for at least two hours so the wine infuses with the flavor of the fruits. Take it out of the refrigerator and correct the sugar, if necessary, finishing with ice.

5. Gin Tonic

An undisputed classic in bars all over the world, the gin and tonic combination was created by officials of the British East India Company. The quinine in tonic water is a common remedy for malaria, a prevalent problem in that region at the time. However, it was considered too bitter – which was when the military officers came up with the idea of blending it with water, sugar, lime juice and gin. 

Ingredients 

for one glass 

50 ml gin

100 ml tonic water

1 orange slice

enough ice to fill the glass

Chill the glass and the tonic water before starting preparation.

Add 50 ml of gin.

Squeeze the orange slice gently and place it in the glass.

Fill the glass with tonic water, which should be well chilled.

Stir and serve.

Explore the Tramontina bar line and make your drink menu shine even more!