Cocktails
Cocktails, long drinks, flips, fizzers, slings, mixed drinks - whatever you call them, their attraction normally lies not only in the delicious flavours but also in how they look.
The recipes for these masterpieces in a glass are as varied as the way they are presented.
Whether they are consumed at home, on a night out or at a hotel bar, cocktails always offer a very special kind of pleasure. While some drinks have made a name for themselves all over the world, others are more discreetly well-known.
Tequila Sunrise, Margarita, Lord Fritz, Mojito & Co...
...a miniature feast for the eyes and a heavenly treat for the taste buds. Cocktails are served in all kinds of different versions worldwide. A typical recipe includes two or more ingredients, of which at least one is a spirit. The drink is freshly prepared in a cocktail shaker, mixing tumbler or cocktail glass, adorned with a suitable garnish and served ready to enjoy.
The history of cocktails dates back to New Orleans and the Sazerac, one of the oldest drinks in the USA.
There are many legends around the Sazerac, which in 2008 was legally declared the official cocktail of the state of New Orleans. Some of them go back as far as 1803! The Sazerac is supposed to have been the first drink to have been called a cocktail. It owes its name to the French Sazerac de Forge & Fils cognac which was imported to New Orleans by the local French population and was used in making the drink. The local pharmacist, Antoine Peychaud, is believed to have invented the drink. To this day, Peychaud’s Bitters is an essential ingredient.
A cocktail can be prepared in many different ways - as we see from the
gin & tonic.
At one time the Queen Mum's favourite drink, this can be mixed in a ratio of anything from about 1:1 to 1:4, according to your taste. But which tonic goes with which gin? Tonics can be dry, spicy, floral, fruity or simply classic. Gin itself can also have a strong taste of juniper, or be more like a liqueur, creamy and flavoured with sugar, cream, vanilla or citrus, and there's even a double-distilled version. The drink can be served in different glasses, depending on the mixing ratio. Whereas in a tumbler the flavour of the gin is foremost, a highball glass can be topped up with ice cubes. Served in a bulbous red wine or Copa glass, the herbs, spices and fruit peel take pride of place and the delicious gin bouquet fills the glass.
The Martini: its reputation as the "King of Cocktails" goes before it.
One of the many legends has it that the bartender Martini di Arma di Taggia served a short drink he had created himself to an oil magnate. The guest was apparently so delighted with the drink that he named it after its inventor. So it was that, in about 1906, the Dry Martini was born at the Knickerbocker Hotel in New York. In fact, did you know that the Martini Cocktail does not necessarily have anything to do with the brand of vermouth called Martini? If you order a Martini in a bar, you are quite likely to be asked by the bartender whether you mean a Martini Cocktail or a vermouth of the Martini brand. Incidentally, the classic version of the cocktail is stirred, not shaken à la 007.
Have you ever come across a Singapore Sling on a cocktail menu?
This classic cocktail was created at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore in about 1915 and has been the hotel's trademark drink ever since. The inventor of the "socially acceptable drink for women", as hotel-legenden.com describes it, was the bartender Ngiam Tong Boon. Because drinks of this kind were not considered suitable for female consumers at the time, it was given a pink colour. Disguised as an innocent fruit juice, it could be enjoyed by the ladies in public without raising any eyebrows.
As the crowning glory of all cocktails, let us now reveal the secret of the aforementioned
Lord Fritz.
This was created by Fritz Buser himself - the founder, long-standing majority shareholder and
former Honorary President of Sunstar Holding AG - not long after the opening of the first Sunstar hotel (Davos, 1969). The basic ingredients were mixed in the hotel wine cellar and prepared for the hotels. The recipe was not revealed until years later. And the Lord Fritz Cocktail still brings joy to our guests today. On special occasions, we like to treat ourselves to a glass of this delicious magic potion, too!