Dry Martini Cocktail

The Gin Sour is one of the oldest cocktails around and has become the blueprint for myriad modern cocktails. You could say it's where the art of mixing began - although nobody quite knows where, when, or how. We do know that revered mixologist Jerry Thomas was the first to write it down. Before that, Royal Navy sailors famously mixed sour drinks on board, adding citrus to their spirits and then sweetening the blend slightly. If they didn't invent the cocktail, they certainly popularized it when they came ashore. Now discover if the Gin Sour rocks your boat.

The sour was first served on the high seas - but forget the cocktail lounge of a luxurious ocean liner. Think sailors in the Royal Navy. On those arduous sea journeys, water supplies could be unreliable to say the least, and often undrinkable. These hardy sailors added spirits and lemons to the water to improve the taste - which is why in the US, the British are known as "Limeys" to this day. They topped the drink with sugar and water and the sour was born. This refreshing cocktail is still loved today.

In 1919, Count Camillo Negroni would frequent the aristocratic Caffè Casoni in Florence, Italy. One day he wanted something a little bit stronger than his usual Americano. So he asked the barman Fosco Scarselli to add a little bit of Gin to his drink, rather than soda, in memory of his recent trips to London.

This new cocktail became “The Usual” for the Count, but soon it became the “American Aperitif Count Negroni-style" for everyone else. In the 1950's the cocktail became very popular in Italy and, soon, all over the world. Ian Fleming mentioned the Negroni Cocktail in one of the 'James Bond' movies.

The true origins of the Whiskey Sour are shrouded in mystery, like any great story. While the sour drink first emerged when the Royal Navy sailors mixed citrus with their beer or rum, to keep the scurvy away, credit for the birth of the Whiskey Sour is often given to the intrepid Englishman Elliott Stubb. Stubb's adventures led him to a Peruvian port town in the 1870's, where he opened a bar and experimented with whatever he could find. He eventually tried mixing the local limon di pica with whiskey and sugar. The result? A classic that balances sweet warmth and tart citrus.