Christening cocktails
There’s no lack of colourful and unusual cocktail names out there, and for each one there’s a story. Here, six of the most memorable are brought to life by Hot Rum Cow as imagined by illustrators.
There’s no lack of colourful and unusual cocktail names out there, and for each one there’s a story. Hot Rum Cow investigates the origins of the drinking world’s more memorable stirs.
Tom Collins
Illustrated by Gavin Gillon
The Tom Collins was named for an elaborate hoax played on New York barflies of the 1870s. Drinkers were told the titular Tom was a foul-mouthed patron who’d been in spreading slander about them. Encouraged by friends to seek the rascal out, the prankee would be directed to one of Tom’s haunts, enquire as to his location, and be presented with the cocktail in lieu. Interestingly, there was a precursor known as a John Collins, like the older, forgotten Donnie Wahlberg to Tom’s Marky Mark.
Harvey Wallbanger
Illustrated by Carolina Cancanilla
On first thoughts, one might imagine Mr Wallbanger as a hirsute sort, whipping sweat-matted locks as he intimidates the younger, skinnier patrons of an underground death metal concert. But this particular Harvey was apparently a surfer who became notable for the potency of his makeshift Galliano Screwdriver, which caused him to bang into all walls in the immediate vicinity after he’d quaffed a few. The more likely scenario, however, is that the Harvey Wallbanger was invented by noted mixologist Donato Antone in the 1950s, with the Harvey Wallbanger persona a mere myth – a kind of cock-eyed Keyser Söze.
Fuzzy Navel
Illustrated by David Lymburn
Nothing to do with the charming lint collection that accumulates in the well of one’s belly, nor indeed some kind of anonymous meeting point for Muppet lovers, the Fuzzy Navel’s name is of an entirely logical derivation: being named for the ‘fuzziness’ in taste and smell of the cocktail’s peach schnapps, and the distinctive navel orange used as its garnish. Fun fact: with the simple addition of an extra measure of vodka, the drink becomes a ‘Hairy Navel’. Invented in the 1980s by BARTENDER Magazine founder, Ray Foley, this peach schnapps and orange concoction can certainly leave your memories of the night before quite fuzzy as well.
Between the Sheets
Illustrated by Grisel Miranda
Allegedly the aperitif of choice among the courtesans of France’s sexual underbelly, Between the Sheets would prove a fitting name given these less than salubrious origins, but the real meaning behind this unusual cocktail’s name is still debated.
Made primarily with cognac, rum and triple sec, a more likely origin story is that it was the invention of mix maestro Harry MacElhone, who introduced it as a variant of his own speciality, the Sidecar, at his New York Bar in Paris in the 1930s. Notably, the Between the Sheets has a very similar list of ingredients to that cocktail, though with more of a rum kick. Others still have suggested the drink is an earlier invention of the famed Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge. The drink is sometimes referred to by the more chaste title, The Maiden’s Prayer, which conjures a whole different set of associations.
The Monkey Gland
Illustrated by Amy Yip
A gin-based cocktail, the Monkey Gland was inspired by the somewhat dubious scientific escapades of Serve Voronoff, a French-Russian surgeon noted for the Moreau-esque practice of grafting tissue from monkey testicles onto his patients. It is safe to say, however, that the drink is more palatable than the practice that gave it its name. Voronoff’s quack practices fell out of favour, but the drink endures. It used to be more commonly made with absinthe, but this is sometimes left out in more modern recipes, and variants exist with a dash of either Benedictine or anise pastis depending on preference. An incredi-ball beverage with an in-scrotable history.
Zombie
Illustrated by Anna Elez
The Zombie cocktail was a quick cult favourite upon creation due to the secrecy surrounding its original recipe, which was closely guarded by inventor Don the Beachcomber, a founding father of America’s Tiki scene. Ever the prankster, Don would divulge different parts of his recipe to different people, assembling a patchwork of ‘what ifs’ as to the perfect mix. The Zombie got its name not from any historical association with Voodoo culture, but for the absolute brain beating it inspired after one too many. The Zombie is also a notable hair of the dog drink, and counted one Howard Hughes among its many fans.
