TIPS AND ADVICE
What's in a Name?
I’ve had many a night of intense cocktail conversation about subjects ranging from original recipes to Tom Cruise. One subject in particular is unique: the cocktail name. If we look at food, a steak is a steak is a steak, independent of the cooking method or preparations, right? A Margarita on the other hand, can take many forms and some will say that if you don’t use a precise list of ingredients, it is no longer a Margarita. Let's take the Daisy Cocktail. There were Whiskey Daisy’s, Brandy Daisy’s and Gin Daisy’s. The recipe for a Daisy is: Spirit, Orange Curacao, lemon juice, and sugar (a.k.a. Sweet and Sour). Sound familiar? How about this, the Spanish word for Daisy is Margarita! So is the Margarita a Tequila Daisy? I say yes, but there are many that put orange juice in margaritas, so does that mean its now an Orange Margarita? That’s for you to decide.
More straight forward names include the Long Island Iced Tea. Now that name makes sense, a cocktail that looks like iced tea and was first created on Long Island. There are a multitude of other names for the same cocktail, making the subject of the cocktail name fascinating. There is a time and a place for everything and for God’s sake, drink what you like!
— Anthony Alba, Partida Bartender Ambassador, Las Vegas
