You Can't Make This Stuff Up!

[Lee Stewart]

Before the Tom Collins, there was the John Collins, which was created by a man of the same name. He worked as a head waiter at Limmer’s Old House in London during the 1860s. The original recipe called for powdered sugar, lemon juice, Old Tom gin and soda water. It’s speculated that because the drink called for Old Tom gin specifically, the name was eventually altered. It could have also been inspired by the very strange Tom Collins Hoax in 1874, when people went around asking others if they’d heard of Tom Collins and, upon their reply, telling them that this nonexistent character was roaming from bar to bar talking smack about them. Believe it or not, it caused quite an uproar.

[Lee Stewart]

A man named Fernand Petiot claims to have invented the bloody mary in 1921 when he was working at the New York Bar (now Harry’s New York Bar) in Paris. The original recipe was just tomato juice and vodka, but Petiot came to bartend at New York’s St. Regis Hotel years later and in 1934 he added salt, pepper, cayenne, Worcestershire sauce and lemon. In 1942, the now famous brunch drink was featured in Life magazine under the name “Red Hammer,” and then it was renamed, but it’s unclear after who. It could be Queen Mary I of England, actress Mary Pickford, a waitress named Molly (she worked at a bar called Bucket of Blood) or several others.

[Lee Stewart]

The Caribe Hilton Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, claims that the pina colada originated there. In 1954, bartender Ramon “Monchito” Marrero dreamed up the mixture of rum, coconut cream and pineapple juice, and first served it on August 15, 1954. In 1978, the pina colada was declared the official drink of Puerto Rico.

[Lee Stewart]

The mai tai is a sweet potion made with rum, orange liqueur, orgeat syrup and lime juice, though orange and/or pineapple juices are also usually added today. Victor J. Bergeron reportedly conceived it in 1944 at the original location of his legendary Polynesian-themed restaurant chain, Trader Vic’s, in Oakland, California. It’s rumored that the name was taken from maita’i, which means “excellence” in Tahitian.

[Lee Stewart]

Although the mint julep can be enjoyed year-round, most people go out of their way to have one during the Kentucky Derby. The first one appeared during the 1700s, and it likely evolved from a Middle Eastern drink called the julab, made with water and rose petals. After making its way to the Mediterranean, rose petals were replaced with mint, which grew locally. U.S. Senator Henry Clay is credited with bringing the boozy version to Washington, D.C,. at the Round Robin Bar in the Willard Hotel (one of America’s most historic hotels) around 1850. Though there have been many varieties to date, a true mint julep calls for just four ingredients: mint, bourbon, simple syrup and crushed ice.

[Lee Stewart]

The Long Island iced tea is a potent, sweet drink made with vodka, tequila, rum, gin, triple sec, sour mix and a splash of cola. It does not contain any tea, though it does look like it. Robert “Rosebud” Butt claims to have invented this cocktail as part of a contest to create the best new mixed drink using triple sec in 1972. The name was of course inspired by Long Island, New York, where Butt tended bar at a now-defunct nightclub called Oak Beach Inn.

[Lee Stewart]

Every Saturday morning during the summer (when I lived in Lynbrook) I would take either my 1963 Corvette or my 1969 Camaro down to the OBI and join in the weekly car show that was held in the parking lot. Sometimes, if I met friends there, we would go over to the OBI and have lunch.

And now it's gone.

Do they still have the big car show on Friday night at the Bellmore Train Station Parking Lot? That was another one of my hangouts.

[Lee Stewart]

The Bellini is a cocktail made with prosecco and peach puree served in a Champagne flute. It was created by Giuseppe Cipriani, the founder of Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy, sometime between 1934 and 1948. What started as a seasonal offering caught fire at the bar’s New York location, and it quickly became a year-round offering.

[Lee Stewart]

Before the White Russian, there was the Black Russian. It was made with vodka and coffee liqueur (like Kahlua or Tia Maria), and first appeared in 1949. Years later, someone added cream and the White Russian was born. The first recipe was documented in the Oakland Tribune around 1965. The name might suggest it was invented in Russia, but that’s just a nod to the vodka in the recipe.

[Lee Stewart]

The French 75 is made with gin or brandy, Champagne, lemon juice and sugar. The first one was allegedly made at the New York Bar in Paris (now Harry’s New York Bar) by Harry MacElhone during the early 1920s. As the story goes, it was thought to have such a kick that it felt like being shelled with a French 75-millimeter field gun. The first version featured calvados (apple or pear brandy), gin, grenadine and absinthe. Gin wasn’t used until 1927, when the recipe was published in the cocktail book “Here’s How!” by Judge Jr.