Colourful, fun and even better if you’re wearing flared jeans.
In the ’60s, the European market was flooded with the French liquor blue Curaçao, which makes whatever it touches vibrantly aqua-coloured. Hearts were won and Blue Lagoons became the jetsetter’s drink of choice. Understandably. It looks like a tropical holiday in a glass; the exact shade of blue you hope the ocean is when you touch down. It’s also very easy to drink (as long as you have a sweet tooth). Lemonade, lemon juice, vodka, blue Curaçao and a cherry on top. To do it right, make sure you use a hurricane glass (check at your nan’s place).
Get the Blue Lagoon cocktail recipe here.
Just like bucket hats, halter tops and Avril Lavigne, Appletinis are back baby. The ’90s were all about bar flair and bright drinks, and Appletinis are amazing to look at, fun to order – “apple-tini, yes pleasie” – and yum to sip. Created in 1996 in West Hollywood, six years later the New York Times declared it was officially Appletini season, and it was the go-to order coast to coast. It’s a bright acidic green with a nice bit of froth on top and the green apple fan as garnish (an absolute must if you want to live that MTV ’00s fantasy).
Get the Appletini cocktail recipe here.
Pull on your skates and get to the roller disco because the bartender has Midori and your Illusion is being poured. That distinctive green melon liqueur was released to the US market from Japan in 1978, where it was immediately embraced by the NYC disco scene (and, word has it, Saturday Night Fever star John Travolta himself). Sweet, strong and melony (particularly in the ’70s, before they changed the recipe), Midori needs to be used in moderation. A Midori Illusion should hero the liqueur, but not overpower the lemon juice, pineapple juice, triple sec and vodka. Tasting and adjusting to get the mix to your taste is encouraged.
Get the Midori Illusion cocktail recipe here.
Orange juice was the most popular mixer in the ’70s, and it’s one of the keys to this iconic drink. Mick Jagger was introduced to the Tequila Sunrise by the rookie bartender who invented it, and Mick, loving the taste and that it was simple enough to easily make on tour, ran with it. It became popular enough that Jose Cuervo started printing the recipe on their bottles and in 1973, the Eagles released their song ‘Tequila Sunrise’. This is a drink as embedded in rock ‘n’ roll culture as Mick’s lips, Robert Plant’s harmonica or Stevie Nicks’s fringe, and it’s still super easy to make. Just three ingredients – grenadine, blanco tequila and orange juice – and some garnish. Considering its rock history, it’s a very sweet, pretty and fresh drink, but that’s the point, right? A little bit of irony makes things cool. Drink on a sunny afternoon while listening to The Kink’s Sunny Afternoon.
Get the Tequila Sunrise cocktail recipe here.
Think Baywatch, think Tom Cruise in Cocktail, think big hair, big lips, neon… it’s the ’80s, baby. Sex on the Beach was the cocktail of the decade, from Florida to the rest of the world. Yes, of course it was created in Florida – Fort Lauderdale, to be specific. Another long drink that suits a hurricane glass, it’s fruity, sweet and easy. Peach schnapps, vodka, cranberry and orange juice, yum. A real treat, hence the name.
Time for the red rum drink! Daiquiris are historic and hail from Cuba, where Ernest Hemingway was a huge fan. The first frozen Daiquiri recipe, however, was created in the ’50s as marketing fodder for the release of the electric blender. Which, you know, smart. Frozen Daiquiris took off in places where it’s hot (of course), but nowhere as much as Louisiana in the US, where they're known to pour them out of Slushie machines and drink them out of jumbo cups. In the late ’80s and early ’90s, frozen Daiquiris had a renaissance across NYC and Hollywood (a popular choice of the SATC characters when they weren’t ordering Cosmos), and while you can make them with any fruit, strawberry is particularly appealing. Fresh strawberries really kick it off, but frozen are also delish. This is a long, flirty drink for hot nights and fun occasions.
The Bramble is the most London cocktail there is. Gin (of course) and blackberries (naturally). It’s unsurprising to hear it was made as an ode to the creator's childhood. Dick Bradsell is credited as making cocktails popular in London in the ’80s; he worked at the legendary Fred’s Club and is also responsible for the Espresso Martini. The Bramble is a fresh, balanced, easy-drinking sip with an alluring deep purple swirl that you should imagine a room of Westwood-clad punks sipping.
Get the Bramble cocktail recipe here.
The liquid equivalent of an after-dinner mint, the Grasshopper is unique. A deeper (but just as vivid) green than a Midori Illusion or Appletini, it’s a ’60s supper-club staple that people are partaking in once again. Ordered with a moment of, “Are you serious?” but then thoroughly enjoyed. With cream, mint and chocolate, who wouldn’t? It’s in the same recipe book as shrimp cocktails, brandy punch and black forest cake, the one all the coolest caterers and chefs are currently pulling out.
