Cocktail History, Culture & Recipes

Sleek, bittersweet, and effortlessly modern, the Paper Plane is the rare 21st-century cocktail that became a classic almost overnight. Equal parts bourbon, Aperol, Amaro Nonino, and lemon juice, it’s a marvel of balance — tangy yet smooth, bright yet grounded, and as perfectly folded as its name suggests. Conceived in the late 2000s but already revered alongside pre-Prohibition icons, the Paper Plane proves that modern mixology can produce legends too — crafted with precisio

Cool, floral, and tinged with the faintest hue of sky blue, the Aviation is one of the most elegant and elusive classics in the cocktail canon. It’s a drink that feels both nostalgic and ethereal — a gin sour lifted into the clouds by violet liqueur. At its best, the Aviation is light, crisp, and aromatic — a perfect harmony of gin, lemon, and crème de violette. At its worst, it’s misunderstood, stripped of its floral soul, and left grounded. But in the hands of a careful ba

Bright, bracing, and just a little mischievous, the Corpse Reviver No. 2 is the most elegant hangover cure ever devised. A blend of gin, Cointreau, Lillet, lemon, and a whisper of absinthe, it’s a drink that walks the line between medicine and magic — citrusy, floral, and with just enough bite to bring the dead back to life. This cocktail is a testament to the golden age of mixology — the early 20th century, when bartenders were part chemist, part artist, and part poet. And

Cool, fragrant, and regal in its simplicity, the Mint Julep is the very essence of Southern elegance. Beneath the frost of its silver cup lies a drink steeped in history — a story of medicine turned ritual, of craftsmanship turned culture. It’s not just crushed ice and bourbon; it’s tradition served cold. The Mint Julep has survived centuries of change and remains one of America’s most iconic cocktails — refreshing, refined, and unmistakably proud. I. Origins The Mint Julep

There is no cocktail more iconic, debated, or enduring than the Martini . A glass of chilled clarity—spirit and vermouth in perfect tension—served with the confidence of a wink and a twist. To order a Martini is to speak a universal language of style. It’s minimalism distilled: crisp, cold, and commanding. Behind that frosted stem lies a century and a half of myth, reinvention, and ritual. The Martini is not just a drink—it’s civilization in liquid form. I. Origins Few cockta

In the swirl of froth and amber, beneath a cloud of citrus aroma, lives one of the most balanced drinks ever created: the Whiskey Sour . Equal parts strength and softness, this cocktail bridges American whiskey’s frontier grit with European refinement. It’s a drink of craftsmanship—simple in appearance, complex in harmony. The Whiskey Sour is both legacy and language: the DNA of cocktail balance—spirit, citrus, sweetener—written in golden whiskey and lemon light. I. Origins B

In the quiet hum of an Irish air terminal in the 1940s, weary travelers shivered from Atlantic winds. A chef reached for hot coffee, sugar, whiskey, and cream—simple ingredients that would soon ignite a global ritual. The Irish Coffee is more than a drink; it’s an act of hospitality. A bridge between comfort and craft, warmth and spirit. Beneath its creamy top lies a story of ingenuity, Irish pride, and the pursuit of something that feels like coming home. I. Origins The Iri

It’s golden hour in Venice. The canals shimmer, cicchetti clatter on platters, and glasses glow in the fading sun—radiant orange, effervescent, inviting. That glow is the Aperol Spritz , a drink that’s less a cocktail and more a lifestyle: light, bubbly, bittersweet, and unmistakably Italian. From its roots in Habsburg-era wine spritzes to its global fame as a terrace icon, the Aperol Spritz embodies the art of aperitivo : the unhurried pause between day and evening when conv

In the golden light of a late-night bar, the hum of conversation gives way to the rattle of ice and the hiss of espresso being pulled. The bartender—tattooed forearms, eyes sharp—reaches for a banana liqueur, a bottle that once would’ve been unthinkable in a martini glass. But times change, and so do our palates. The Banana Espresso Martini is a modern evolution of two powerful symbols of indulgence: caffeine and decadence. It bridges the sophistication of the 1980s Espresso