Build your Cocktail Box

A cocktail known by many names throughout its history, the origins of the Espresso Martini will remain the stuff of myth and legend for years to come. The story goes that one day a young supermodel sidled up to Dick Bradsell’s bar at the Soho Brasserie and requested a pick-me-up cocktail with coffee…although her exact words were a little different! Mixing the now infamous drink with vodka, coffee liqueur, a shot of espresso and a little sugar, the Espresso Martini was thus born. The cocktail’s name may have changed through Dick’s bartending history (the 'Pharmaceutical Stimulant' is our personal favorite), but the iconic combination of vodka and coffee has remained the same since its inception.

Iconically pink, the Cosmopolitan was born at the hands of Cheryl Cook, bartender and owner of The Strand in Miami. Her words describe the birth of the drink better than anyone else: "It was about 1985; the Martini was making a comeback, with its classic glass. The women didn't seem to like cocktails very much but wanted to be seen with the martini glass in hand. This gave me the idea of ​​creating a cocktail that would appeal to everyone, and fit in this classic glass. So, I took the ingredients: Absolut Citron, a dose of triple sec, a drop of Rose's Lime and enough cranberry to make it deliciously pink."
In a short time the cocktail was mentioned by the famous Cosmopolitan magazine, from which Cook took inspiration for the name.

In 1919, Count Camillo Negroni would frequent the aristocratic Caffè Casoni in Florence, Italy. One day he wanted something a little bit stronger than his usual Americano. So he asked the barman Fosco Scarselli to add a little bit of Gin to his drink, rather than soda, in memory of his recent trips to London.

This new cocktail became “The Usual” for the Count, but soon it became the “American Aperitif Count Negroni-style" for everyone else. In the 1950's the cocktail became very popular in Italy and, soon, all over the world. Ian Fleming mentioned the Negroni Cocktail in one of the 'James Bond' movies.

The Manhattan has outlasted prohibition, it's survived countless trends, and is widely (and rightly) regarded as one of the greatest ever cocktails. If you believe the legend, it was first mixed in 1870 at a reception held by Jennie Jerome, soon-to-be mother of Winston Churchill. The venue? The Manhattan Club - where else. Or so the story goes. You can find it on cocktail menus around the world, and now, in your very own cocktail bar, too.

Tart and tangy, our classic Margarita is bound to impress any fan of this iconic summer cocktail. The infamous Margarita was created in honor of showgirl Rita de la Rosa in 1938 and has been a staple of home bars around the world ever since. Hand crafted with premium, 100% Blue Agave Tequila Exotico, the NIO Cocktails Margarita strikes the perfect balance between sweet agave, crisp lime flavors and a hint of salt to create a light and refreshing cocktail.

This story begins in Paris, at Harry’s Bar, where the famous barman Harry McElhone invented this special cocktail for Erksine Gwynne. Gwynne was well known because he was the grandson of the magnate Alfred Vanderbilt. Thanks to Gwynne, the Boulevardier became famous when he published the recipe in his “Barflies and Cocktails”, circa 1927, and he went on to create a monthly magazine called "Boulevardier”.

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.

It's simple: Milan is the birthplace of Campari. Turin is the home of sweet vermouth. Mix the two together in a glass. garnish with orange peel, and you have the perfect classic. Legend has it that Gaspare Campari first served the Milano Torino at his Milan cafe in 1860. The Mi-To proved so popular it became the template for the next generation of bittersweet cocktails, like the Americano (with a splash of soda) and the Negroni (with an equal measure of gin). Ours includes Cocchi vermouth, from a family recipe that's over 100 years old.

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.

The origins of this cocktail go so far back that it's tough to trust anyone who says they created it. The original name was Whiskey Cocktail, as it reflected the characteristics of the classic cocktail formula laid down in 1806: spirit, sugar, water and bitters. The proliferation of new liqueurs available to bartenders from the 1870s resulted in a fad for new and allegedly 'improved' Whiskey Cocktails, which then led to a revolt amongst those who yearned for the original drink. Hence the Old Fashioned Whiskey Cocktail.

The Gin Sour is one of the oldest cocktails around and has become the blueprint for myriad modern cocktails. You could say it's where the art of mixing began - although nobody quite knows where, when, or how. We do know that revered mixologist Jerry Thomas was the first to write it down. Before that, Royal Navy sailors famously mixed sour drinks on board, adding citrus to their spirits and then sweetening the blend slightly. If they didn't invent the cocktail, they certainly popularized it when they came ashore. Now discover if the Gin Sour rocks your boat.

The true origins of the Whiskey Sour are shrouded in mystery, like any great story. While the sour drink first emerged when the Royal Navy sailors mixed citrus with their beer or rum, to keep the scurvy away, credit for the birth of the Whiskey Sour is often given to the intrepid Englishman Elliott Stubb. Stubb's adventures led him to a Peruvian port town in the 1870's, where he opened a bar and experimented with whatever he could find. He eventually tried mixing the local limon di pica with whiskey and sugar. The result? A classic that balances sweet warmth and tart citrus.

It's winter. An Alpine chalet and an open fire. NIO Cocktails' Head Mixologist Patrick Pistolesi is in the mood for a gin-based drink before dinner - something a little different, something unexpected. Inspired by the après-ski mood, Patrick creates this perfectly perfumed signature cocktail for the curious gin lover. The floral notes of violet in the Purple Breeze are as home on a snow-covered slope as a sun-soaked beach.

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”