Cocktails have a rich and evolving history that stretches far beyond Prohibition. From ancient spiced drinks to the speakeasies of the 1920s and the craft cocktail renaissance of today, mixed drinks have always reflected culture, creativity, and rebellion. Join us as we explore the journey of craft cocktails—from their earliest roots to the modern-day mixology movement.
The Birth of Cocktails
The origin story of cocktails is steeped in centuries of tradition. For almost as long as people have been enjoying alcohol, they’ve been mixing drinks and conducting various experiments to enhance them. The Greeks flavored wine with anything and everything, such as honey or seawater. Minoan Cretans blended a proto-cocktail of wine, beer, and mead. From the mid-5th century to the 8th century, the English drank wassail, an aromatic blend based on cider, served in bowls and cups to celebrate the harvest. However, the arrival of sugar soon paved the way for the creation of cocktails, marking the beginning of a new era for mixed drinks. During medieval times, the wealthy began flavoring their ales with luxurious sugars and spices transported from the East by land and sea. This initial combination of booze, sugar, and spice set the stage for introducing the very first cocktails.
Distilling opened up a new world of possibilities within cocktail culture. In medieval times, monks and the upper class started producing their own liquors in their homes, mainly for medicinal purposes. However, eventually, people began to experiment with pure distilled drinks. Oftentimes, they were too strong for enjoyment, so what was the answer? Dilute it with sugar, citrus fruits, and spices. And who came up with this? Across the Atlantic and Indian Oceans from England, India was ahead of the game in crafting “punch,” a mixture similar to modern-day cocktails. As the English colonized India in the 18th century, punch made its way to the Brits by sea, leaving a lasting mark on the history of cocktails. The Indian punch included 5 simple ingredients: alcohol, sugar, lemon, water, and spices. Often served in large bowls at social gatherings and upper-class events, mixed punch quickly gained traction in England and spread throughout the country. These concoctions laid the foundation for today's cocktail culture, emphasizing the art of balancing flavors and blending seemingly unrelated ingredients into a harmonious creation.
As the English settled in America, they brought punch, often using rum as the base since it was easier to produce in the colonies. Unlike the British, Americans preferred to avoid the hassle of serving large batches of punch. Instead, they created the “sling”—a single-serving version of punch. This simplified drink consisted of 3 ingredients: a spirit (rum, gin, whiskey, or brandy), water, and sugar.
The 19th Century: An Age of Famed Bartenders & Chilled Cocktails
The 1800s brought a new wave of innovation in cocktail culture. Cocktails were on the rise, even officially being mentioned on May 6, 1806, in The Balance and Columbian Repository of Hudson, New York, a political newsletter at the time. Making a criticism of a political opponent and mentioning he was a drunkard, the newsletter described a cocktail as “a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters. It is vulgarly called bittered sling, and it is supposed to be an excellent electioneering potion, in as much as it renders the heart stout and bold at the same time it fuddles the head.” It’s safe to say that the cocktail described then hasn’t changed much in the present day.
Once cocktails were first written about, famous bartenders began garnering nationwide attention. Cato Alexandar was one of many. Born into enslavement, he was forced to work at an inn in New York, where he often waited on George Washington. After gaining his freedom in 1799, Alexandar opened his establishment, “Cato’s Tavern,” a sporty bar just outside of New York City. As a bartner, Alexandar became famous for crafting stellar gin cocktails and brandy juleps.
Around 1805, ice harvesting and shipping were established, paving the way for the chilled cocktails we know and enjoy today. Before this, ice was primarily a luxury reserved for the wealthy during summer. However, Boston entrepreneur Frederic Tudor revolutionized the industry by commercially harvesting and shipping ice from New England ponds, launching the large-scale ice trade nationwide. Following the boom of the ice trade, a bartender named Orsamus Willard rose to prominence in cocktail culture. He worked his way up from office boy to bartender at the high-profile City Hotel in New York and was known as “Willard of the City Hotel” or “Napolean of bar keeps” in the early to mid 19th century. Willard popularized American iced cocktails and helped shape bar service standards, offering personalized attention to new customers and regulars at the hotel.
The history of cocktails wasn’t shaped by men alone. One woman, in particular, left her mark on its origin story: Martha King Niblo. Raised in business with her father, who owned a New York porterhouse, Martha King had an entrepreneurial spirit ever since she could walk. After marrying William Niblo, Martha and her husband went on to open Niblo’s Garden in present-day SoHo. She is often recognized for popularizing the Sherry Cobbler and pioneering bar service even further than Orsamus Willard. Martha gained fame for remembering each customer’s preferences and continually raised the standard for future bartenders.
Around the same time, Peter Brent Brigham was credited for creating the first “fancy drinks menu,” including cocktails coined Smasher, Wormwood Floater, Tom and Jerry, Stone Wall, and more. Brigham opened an oyster shop with a bar in Boston’s Concert Hall and an unparalleled drink and dining menu. His menus and original drinks were often referenced in nationwide newsletters, inspiring widespread imitations.
Perhaps the most well-known bartender of the mid-19th century was Jerry Thomas. Credited as the founding father of modern bartending, Thomas—often called “The Professor”—was a flamboyant bartender in New York City. Known for his showmanship, Thomas frequently juggled bottles and cups, turning cocktail service into a spectacle for his customers. In 1862, he wrote the first cocktail recipe book, The Bartender’s Guide, providing a foundational template for modern mixology and setting the standard for bartenders for generations to come. Less than a decade later, the English would follow in his footsteps and begin publishing their own cocktail recipe books.
Cocktail culture and recipe books continued to expand throughout the late 19th century. Even the Police Gazette, a popular American magazine then, jumped on the bandwagon by publishing bartender guides. The magazine also held annual competitions for bartenders, encouraging innovation, flair, and the pursuit of excellence in mixology. These contests not only elevated bartending as a craft but also helped solidify the cocktail's place in American culture.
The 20th Century: Roaring 20s & the Tiki Cocktail Culture
The 20th century, specifically 1920, marked the beginning of Prohibition—the nationwide ban on the sale, transportation, and manufacturing of alcohol. Although the government intended for alcohol consumption to decrease, the 18th Amendment backfired, leading to an increase in alcohol consumption—including craft cocktails. Before the Roaring Twenties, drinking was for gentlemen of leisure, not for everyday people. However, Prohibition transformed the drinking landscape, allowing men and women to drink together in a shared environment. It marked a significant break from the social restrictions of the time. Upon entering a speakeasy—a hidden bar—in the 1920s, you would find men and women of all social standings dancing, drinking, and conversing the night away.
The quality of spirits during this decade wasn’t what they once were. Bootleggers didn’t have the proper time to age whiskey, but gin was a quick and affordable alternative. To cover gin’s poor taste, sweet flavors were added to enhance it, adding more varieties of cocktails to menus. Since cocktails could be consumed quickly during a raid, their popularity rose. Their disguised, sweetened flavors encouraged patrons to drink more, prompting speakeasies to keep serving them and introducing new variations to the menu. Mostly, cocktails added to the fun that marked the Roaring Twenties. The primary focus of the 1920s was letting loose, enjoying good times, and crossing cultural and social barriers—all for the raising of a glass to independence and rebellion.
After Prohibition was repealed in 1933, cocktail culture shifted again, embracing a Tiki influence. Ernest Raymond Beaumont-Gantt transitioned from running a speakeasy to opening a bar, but he needed a way to stand out in Los Angeles' competitive cocktail scene. How did he do it? By creating a uniquely themed bar featuring Polynesian and tropical decor. Called Don’s Beachcomber Cafe, his tiki-themed bar quickly became a local favorite. Ernest is credited with pioneering the exotic cocktails that defined the Tiki movement, crafting rum-based drinks with fresh fruit juices, spices, and elaborate garnishes that transported patrons to an island paradise. The Don the Beachcomber brand became a national chain, opening up sixteen locations and sparking the tiki movement in the mid-20th century.
Why was the tiki culture such a hit? There could be multiple reasons for its widespread popularity. Men came home from World War II fascinated by the South Pacific and the Polynesian culture they experienced firsthand. Tales of the South Pacific was published among other pieces of literature and Hollywood movies during the 1950s, pushing the Tiki culture further into the limelight. Perhaps the main reason it gained massive fame was its escapist nature. During that time, many were still reeling from the effects of the war. How could one say no when given the chance to escape to a Tiki-inspired tropical oasis? Especially when sweet cocktails offered a temporary escape from past hardships.
Over the years, Tiki culture slowly faded, giving way to the rise of suburban cocktail parties. By the 1970s, cocktails had fallen out of favor, and wine became the go-to drink. But by the late 1980s, flashy bartending made a comeback, with bartenders juggling cups and dazzling guests by the dozen. Nearing the end of the 20th century, cocktails grew larger and sweeter, with drinks like the Blue Lagoon, Fuzzy Navel, Between the Sheets, and Sex on the Beach becoming bar staples.
21st Century: Rise of the Craft Cocktail Culture
Entering the 21st century, there was a nationwide backlash to the cheapness of cocktails from the 1980s–1990s. Instead, bartenders have returned to the classic cocktails, focusing on high-quality ingredients, house-made syrups, and artisanal spirits. Modern-day cocktail culture is all about craftsmanship, creativity, and experience. Every mixologist strives to be more innovative than the next, ensuring every drink rises above the previous one. Reimagined speakeasies, themed bars, and mixology-driven menus dominate the scene, offering unique, Instagram-worthy drinks. In recent years, there’s even been a rise in low-ABV and non-alcoholic cocktails catering to health-conscious drinkers. Whether a molecular mixology experiment or a perfectly balanced classic, today’s cocktail culture is about pushing boundaries while elevating the drinking experience.
Turf Club and Griff’s Speakeasy Bar in Twin Falls, Idaho: A Toast to Cocktail History
Raise a glass to the art of craft cocktails and the spirit of independence at Twin Falls’ reimagined hidden bar and adjacent Turf Club. Our revitalized speakeasy, Griff’s, is a tribute to our origins. Established in 1946—when selling alcoholic beverages by the drink was still illegal in Idaho—Turf Club opened its doors as a speakeasy in the middle of Southern Idaho’s cornfields, offering local ranchers a place to gather and unwind. Today, our hidden bar blends a passion for good times, a touch of rebellion, and a deep appreciation for craftsmanship in every cocktail.
From well-loved classics to seasonal delights, Griff’s offers unrivaled drinks in Twin Falls, Idaho. Step into Turf Club’s hidden bar for a taste of craft cocktail history—just don’t forget the password for entry.
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