Happy Hour History: The Manhattan

By JIM SABATASO | STAFF Editor’s note: This part of an ongoing series exploring the history of various cocktails the author likes to make for happy hour. Enjoy responsibly. Few drinks have the classic cocktail cachet of the Manhattan. By most accounts, it was the first — of the modern era — and, while others have gone…

Happy Hour History: The Martini

By JIM SABATASO | STAFF Editor’s note: This part of a series exploring the history of various cocktails the author likes to make for happy hour. Enjoy responsibly. For today’s lesson, we’ll be exploring the storied past of the Martini, a cocktail HL Mencken once called the “the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet.” I couldn’t…

Happy Hour History: The Moscow Mule

By JIM SABATASO | STAFF Editor’s note: This part of a series exploring the history of various cocktails the author likes to make for happy hour. Enjoy responsibly.  Today, I’ve got the perfect quaff for your May Day Happy Hour: the Moscow Mule. This cocktail may have commie connotations, but its origins are all capitalist, comrade. Indeed, the Mule…

Happy Hour History: The Negroni

By JIM SABATASO | STAFF Editor’s note: This part of a series exploring the history of various cocktails the author likes to make for happy hour. Enjoy responsibly. Cocktails have muddled histories. In today’s cocktail renaissance, recipes are well-documented, and origins are easily traceable. But go back 100 years or so, and that was not the case.…

Happy Hour History: The Cuba Libre

By JIM SABATASO | STAFF Editor’s note: This part of a series exploring the history of various cocktails the author likes to make for happy hour. Enjoy responsibly. Today let’s continue our voyage through Caribbean history with the Cuba Libre. Commonly known in the US as a Rum and Coke, the cocktail was invented in Havannah, Cuba (obviously), around 1900. Like…