Celebrities have a way of spurring lifestyle trends. We want to eat where they dine, wear their styles and, surprisingly, drink what they drink. So it’s no surprise that “celebrities have had a profound influence on the cocktail culture that is now a global phenomenon,” according to master mixologist Brian Van Flandern whose recent cocktail book, Celebrity Cocktails, focuses on the many alcoholic treats made famous by the famous. From Shirley Temple’s distaste for her signature beverage to the birth of the margarita for Rita Hayworth, the Daily Beast has rounded up the most interesting celebrity stories behind your favorite cocktails.
"Shirley Temple Black was often invited to parties at the famous Chasen's Bar in Beverly Hills in the 1930s. But being a child star, Temple complained that she couldn't drink like the adults, so a bartender whipped up the famous namesake drink in her honor. Later in life Temple admitted she hated the drink because it was 'so sweet.'"
1.5 oz. Tito's Vodka
.75 oz. Monin Grenadine Syrup
.75 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
3 oz. Ginger Beer
Place all ingredients (except ginger beer) into a mixing glass. Add large ice and shake vigorously. Add ginger beer and tumble roll once. Taste for balance and double strain over fresh ice. Garnish with brandy-soaked bing cherries and serve.
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"Lucille Désirée Ball met Cuban-born bandleader Desi Arnaz in 1940 while filming the Rodgers and Hart stage sensation Too Many Girls. The couple eloped the same year. Even though they were only six years apart in age, it was not quite socially acceptable for an older woman to marry a younger man, so they split the difference in their ages, both claiming they were born in 1914. Desi loved Cuban rum, while Lucy preferred Jack and Coke; together...Cuba Libre!"
1.5 oz. Havana Club Rum
3.5 oz. Coca-Cola
Place rum into a mixing glass. Add large ice. Add Coca-Cola. Tumble roll back and forth once. Garnish with a fresh lime wedge and serve.
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"There are many legends about who invented the Margarita cocktail. Many believe that Margarite Sames (Texas socialite) created it in Acapulco in 1948. However, a lesser-known legend is that a bartender in Tijuana created it to impress Rita Hayworth. Either way, it remains the number-one ordered cocktail in North America."
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"There is a myth that the Sex on the Beach cocktail was inspired by a scene from From Here to Eternity (1953), starring Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr. In fact, the cocktail was likely created in the eighties during spring break in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The short-lived cocktail was laid to rest in New Orleans in 2010, when the top bartenders in the world held a mock funeral at the world's preminent cocktail event, Tales of the Cocktail."
1.5 oz Ketel One Vodka
.5 oz. Peach Schnapps
.75 oz Chambord
2 oz. Cranberry Juice
2 oz. Fresh Pineapple Juice
Place all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add large ice cube and shake thoroughly. Double strain in glass over fresh ice. Garnish and serve.
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"Liz Taylor's daily diet reportedly consisted of the following: scrambled eggs, bacon, and a mimosa for breakfast; French bread filled with peanut butter and bacon for lunch; and fried chicken, peas, biscuits, gravy, mashed potatoes, corn bread, homemade potato chips, trifle, and a tumbler full of Jack Daniel's for dinner. She once said her favorite cocktail was Hershey's Syrup, vodka, and Kahlua."
1 oz. Absolute Vodka
1 oz. Kahlua
1 oz. Hershey's Chocolate Syrup
Heat chocolate syrup til wam. Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass and stir until thoroughly mixed. Add large ice and stir again until properly chilled. Taste for balance. Slowly pour over fresh ice and serve.
"William Horatio Powell and Myrna Loy played Nick and Nora Charles, a retired detective and a socialite in The Thin Man (1934), who team up to solve a murder mystery in post-Prohibition Manhattan. The two characters were not only great detectives, they were also prolific drinkers: The glasses they drank from, later named after the duo, were about a third the size of the modern martini glass and became immensely popular at the time. In one scene, Nick hands Nora a drink, and she asks him how much he's had. 'This will make six Martinis,' he replies. In an effort to catch up, she orders five more for herself."
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"Grace Patricia Kelly was an American film actress who became the Princess of Monaco when she married Prince Rainier III in 1956. She retired from acting at twenty-six to begin her duties in Monaco. The country of Monaco celebrated in grand style; even bartenders toasted the event, serving a new drink called the Princess Cocktail, made with bourbon, grenadine, and fresh cream."
2 oz. Maker's Mark Bourbon
1 oz. Monin Grenadine (made with cane sugar)
2 oz. Half & Half Milk
Place all ingredients into a mixing tin. Add large ice and shake vigorously. Taste for balance. Strain over fresh ice, garnish with pomegranate seeds, and serve.
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"The Duke was a cultural icon who loved a good drink. He reportedly once walked into a stranger's house and, to the delighted bewilderment of the owners, poured himself a stiff belt. John Wayne was regarded as a generous tipper who would often buy the whole bar a round of drinks. He once said, 'I drink for comradeship, and when I drink for comradeship, I don't bother to keep count!' the Duke's favorite drink was Sauza Conmemorativo Tequila."
Celebrity Cocktails ($50) is available through Assouline Publishing.
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