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The History and Evolution of Caribbean Cocktails

The History and Evolution of Caribbean Cocktails

SEPTEMBER 04,

2024



The word “cocktail” first appeared in written form in 1806, in the New York periodical The Balance and Columbian Repository, in order to answer the question of a reader who inquired about the meaning of the word. There, the writer explained that a cocktail was a stimulating liquor composed of several types of spirits, water, sugar and bitters. He considered it as a drink capable of preparing people for anything and as an alarm clock for the mind.


Later, around 1862, Jerry Thomas popularized the cocktail concept as a mixture of alcohols and juices but marked by a dose of creativity, in which the drink could become a true spectacle in itself. The cocktail bar took off completely during Prohibition. 

Undoubtedly, one of the places that has contributed the most to today's cocktail culture is the Caribbean. This is due to its strong presence of fruits, as well as its different cultural influences. For this reason, we would like to tell you the history of some of the most iconic cocktails of today, which you can find in Morgan's Mango's menu, as well as many others. 

The Mojito

Ranked among the best-selling drinks in the world, the Mojito was invented by Sir Francis Drake, a pirate. 

In the 16th century, ship travel spread a disease that miners and pirates alike used to suffer from, which was scurvy, an ailment suffered by those who lacked vitamin C. The corsair Drake, alerted by this problem in his crew, turned to natural ingredients of the time such as tafia (a predecessor of rum), lemon, fresh mint and sugar, and created the first version of the Mojito, which proved to be very effective against this condition, due to its vitamin C. For a time the drink was christened “The Drake”. 

At Morgan's Mango the mojito recipe includes light rum, soda, lime and fresh mint. 

The Caipiroska

Originally from Russia, the caipiroska is another of the most consumed cocktails in the world in general and in the Caribbean in particular. It belongs to the caipiras family and was born as a variation of the traditional caipirinha, with the difference that the cachaça is replaced by vodka. Its origin dates back to the 80's, thanks to the promotion of several vodka makers who managed to create this version and bring it to Brazil, becoming a reference drink in the famous Brazilian nights. 

Our caipiroska is based on sky vodka, fresh limes, lime juice and poured over ice.

 

 

The cocktail margarita

The margarita is today one of the most popular cocktails in the world. Although there is no certainty about its birth, it is considered to have originated in the border regions between the United States and Mexico in the 1930s. In addition, among the many stories that revolve around its birth, one of the most widespread holds that it was created by bartender Danny Negrete, who created the drink as a wedding gift in 1936. He and his brother had opened a bar in the Garci Crispo hotel in Puebla, Mexico, and the recipe was given to his future sister-in-law, Margarita. 

We serve Harley's margarita, which is sauza Hornitos tequila, cointreau, simple syrup and fresh lime, served with salt. 

The martini

Finally, another of the classics, the martini, seems to have been created in 1910 and to have inherited its name from Mr. Martini, bar manager of a New York club during the first decade of the 20th century. As time went by, it became popular worldwide and one of the people responsible for it was Ernest Hemingway. 

Finally, we had two martini options. The first is an espresso martini with vanilla infused vodka, godiva chocolate liqueur, kaluha, dark cream de cacao and fresh espresso. The second, the chocolate martini, is dark & white Godiva chocolate, stoli vanilla, white cream de cacao and cream.

Visit us at Morgan’s Mango and try our amazing cocktails!




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