Cosmopolitan Cocktail

The sour was first served on the high seas - but forget the cocktail lounge of a luxurious ocean liner. Think sailors in the Royal Navy. On those arduous sea journeys, water supplies could be unreliable to say the least, and often undrinkable. These hardy sailors added spirits and lemons to the water to improve the taste - which is why in the US, the British are known as "Limeys" to this day. They topped the drink with sugar and water and the sour was born. This refreshing cocktail is still loved today.

Mother Russia. You might think of barren tundra, chilling Siberian winters, and endless rolling plains. Well, think again. On a recent visit to St Petersburg, NIO Cocktails' Head Mixologist Patrick Pistolesi took a stroll around the stunning Summer Gardens. The early spring bloom is as unexpected as it is intense - it's colorful, perfumed, and unforgettable. Inspired, he set out to recreate the experience. The result is this sophisticated signature cocktail: a flowering garden in a glass.

The original cocktail was created at the end of 19th century, during the Spanish American war. They say that after the shipwreck of the battleship Main, one of the Marines reached a little village near Santiago de Cuba, called Daiquiri. There, he entered a small shack used as a bar, to quench his thirst.

Because he refused to drink plain rum, they added lime juice and he completed the mix with a little bit of sugar. So, Daiquiri was born. The cocktail was, together with Mojito, one of the favorites of the famous writer Ernest Hemingway, who said “My Mojito a La Bodeguita, My Daiquiri a La Floridita”

We all know the classic Margarita, so who is Tommy? And what makes his drink so different? Well, it was actually created by Julio Bermejo. He named it after his family's Mexican bar and restaurant in San Francisco - the self-proclaimed "Best Tequila Bar on Earth", which is now a destination for many of the world's premier bartenders. Tommy's adds a Mexican twist by replacing the triple sec in a classic Margarita with agave syrup. It's still served at Tommy's Mexican Restaurant, and now, at your place.