Old-Time Origins: Our 10 Favorite Retro Cocktails

The retro-drink culture is officially in vogue, from the TV show Mad Men to the speakeasy-style cocktail bar. Many of today's popular cocktails originated 100, 200, even 300 years ago, but each of the following drinks has enjoyed a resurgence in our lifetimes. Read all about the fabled and oft-debated origins of your favorite retro cocktails, including the Sidecar, Piña Colada, and Gin Rickey.

For more drink and party-food ideas, check out our comprehensive Drinks Guide. Continue the retro theme with one of our cozy, fun-to-eat fondue recipes.

By Sara Schwartz


Tom Collins

Basically gin with sparkling lemonade, the Tom Collins cocktail was born of the Great Tom Collins Hoax of 1874. The hoax began as a game, in which someone would ask another if he'd seen Tom Collins, asserting that this character (who didn't really exist) had been spreading rumors about him. A flurry of urgent searching would ensue, and the supposedly maligned searcher would end up feeling foolish. The original Punk'd! Who knew?

Recipe: Tom Collins


This version of the World War I-era cocktail incorporates light citrus flavors and Crown Royal, a blended Canadian whiskey. The original recipe was reportedly invented for an American army captain who was feeling under the weather, so his bartender invented a drink with body-warming brandy and vitamin C-rich lemon juice. Oh, and he was known for riding around town in the sidecar of a motorcycle, hence ...

Recipe: Crown Sidecar

Piña Colada

The king of all tropical frozen drinks, the pineapple-crowned piña colada comes from the island of Puerto Rico and was invented in the mid-1950s. Pineapple juice, rum, and coconut cream are the tried-and-true ingredients.

Recipe: Piña Colada

Bourbon Hot Toddy

Bourbon, spiced and sugared, takes center stage in this cold-weather cocktail. Traditionally imbibed for relaxation or to cure a cold, Hot Toddies were reputedly born in Scotland in the early 1700s. (Talk about retro!).

Recipe: Hot Toddy


Also known as the "Drinking Man's Cocktail," the Manhattan has a much-debated history, but everyone agrees the drink was indeed invented in New York City in the second half of the 1800s. Whiskey, sweet vermouth, and maraschino cherries are the unwavering ingredient list.

Recipe: Manhattan

White Russian

If you're feeling political, the White Russian cocktail could refer to the right-wing Bolsheviks of the Russian Civil War during the early 1900s, who were known as the "whites." If not, this drink could simply refer to the vodka (which was associated with Russia during the 1950s) in this dessert-worthy coffee liqueur cocktail. Either way, this drink is both simple and delicious.

Recipe: White Russian

Dirty Martini

This simple, sophisticated martini has been pleasing bar patrons for more than 70 years. Vodka, olives, and olive juice are all you need to make this drink.

Recipe: Dirty Martini


Around the beginning of the 20th century, rumor has it a naval surgeon recommended sailors drink a concoction of gin and lime juice to ward away scurvy, a vitamin C-deficient ailment. Not a bad way to get your C.

Recipe: Gimlet

Gin Rickey

As simple to prepare as it is delicious, this classic cocktail mixes premium dry gin, fresh lime juice, and bubbly soda water. Another drink of politically charged origins, the Gin Rickey was named for Missouri politician "Colonel Joe" Rickey, who invented this concoction during the hot, muggy summer of 1883 in Washington, DC.

Recipe: Tanqueray Gin Rickey

Planter's Punch

This classic quencher, made with rum and a bevy of juices, including orange, pineapple, and lime, is thought to have originated around the turn of the 20th century as a thirst-quenching drink for hardworking planters. Serve on the back porch with plenty of ice on a hot day.

Recipe: Planter's Punch

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