The great-grandfather of cocktails. Its true origin may never be revealed, but it was said to be created at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky by a local bartender, Colonel James E. Pepper. This story is considered unlikely, however, since the first mention of the cocktail was long before the Pendennis Club was opened, but does it really matter? One of the most popular and ordered cocktails in the world, the old fashioned’s greatness is found in its simplicity, only sugar and bitters highlight the whiskey and the freshness of the orange zest. The drink takes its name from the glass in which it is served.

This ruby red Italian charmer has been with us over a hundred years now with an unbreakable popularity that keeps Campari alive. An equal-part cocktail that sounds easy enough to make yourself at home yet tastes best made by skilled bartenders. Its origin goes back to 1919 in Florence. Legend has it that Count Camillo Negroni asked his friend, the bartender Forsco Scarselli, to fortify his favorite cocktail – the Americano – by replacing the soda water with gin. The cocktail was simply named after the Count himself. Who knows how many have been ordered since then.

The name of this classic cocktail is at once that of the glass it is served in. It has to be said, we like to keep the origins and stories of its creation in a blur of speculation. The mix of gin and vermouth has countless variations that sometimes have iconic names of their own. Everyone prefers this tipple slightly differently, but men of the modern era tend to prefer their martini as dry as the Sahara.

“The perfect Martini should be made by filling a glass with gin, then waving it in the general direction of Italy.”
- Noel Coward -

Questions you are very likely to be asked ordering one: Gin or vodka? Shaken or stirred? How dry? A twist of lemon zest or an olive? Dirty?