Cocktails Through the Decades: History, Recipes & Iconic Drinks by Era

Picture it – it's the tail end of 1933 and the government gives the nation the best early Christmas present ever: the repeal of the 18th Amendment, also known as [shudder] Prohibition. What’s the first cocktail you’re ordering at your neighborhood watering hole?  

If your answer is a strong, dry martini, you’d be in good company. The martini represented a return to basics and timeless elegance after our country's dreaded dry spell.  

The real question is, should a martini be shaken or stirred? Watch this video to find out if Mr. Bond was ordering his martinis wrong this entire time. 

World War II claimed the first half of the decade, and Americans were craving the exact opposite of simple elegance: they wanted pure, extravagant escapism. Enter Tiki giants like Victor “Trader Vic” Bergeron and Donn Beach, who sold luau life to a nation of weary folks who were willing to buy a beachside fantasy in a glass. Unsurprisingly, both men claim to have invented the Mai Tai cocktail that sparked the Tiki cocktail culture craze.  

The true creator remains a mystery. What's certain is that the name comes from Maita'i, the Tahitian word for "good" or "excellence," an apt moniker for this bold, tropical drink. 

Culture is a pendulum, ever swinging between opposites of minimalism and excess. The pendulum swung back toward understated luxury in the ‘50s, and no cocktail fits that bill better than the Old Fashioned.  

This is Hollywood’s golden era, when silver screen starlets became the picture of American idealism. The Old Fashioned wasn’t invented in this decade, no indeed – it had been around since the early to mid-19th century. (I mean, to earn the name the Old Fashioned, it had to have some history behind it.) 

Nevertheless, this classic cocktail mirrored the refinement and glamour of the time. Just like Gene Kelly and Audrey Hepburn, the Old Fashioned is universally adored. 

During the ‘60s, we started to see the beginnings of a phenomenon that’s still developing to this day: at-home cocktail making. With a bar cart and a dream, anyone could be their own bartender in their home (or office...just watch Mad Men to confirm that one). 

But no one except the dedicated few had time or space to make elaborate Tiki cocktails at home. No, cocktails had to be kept straightforward and stylish. A great example of this standard of mixology is the Manhattan – it's simple enough to assemble, but its chestnut hue and cherry garnish give it a bit of visual appeal. And while it’s a timeless staple, it’s often compared to its equally iconic counterpart, the Old Fashioned—two classics that continue to define what a great cocktail should be, so click here to see Old Fashioned vs. Manhattan and pick your side.

Plus, we can all agree that the coupe is the superior cocktail glass, right? Tres chic! 

Legend has it that Mick Jagger first tried a Tequila Sunrise at the kickoff party of their 1972 tour and liked it so much that The Rolling Stones ordered them across America while on the road. The Eagles must have partied with the Stones at some point, because the band included a song with the cocktail’s name on their Desperado album, released later the same year. 

The Tequila Sunrise is pure ‘70s rock ‘n’ roll: it’s bright, it’s sugary and it has no business doing [gestures broadly] all that. But it does. Why? Because it’s a vibe.  

You probably have your own memories tied to this tie-dyed Californian cocktail...but whether you’d order one at a bar today is a different story. 

After all this time, has the sun set on the Tequila Sunrise? Not on our (and Jagger’s) watch. 

In the ‘80s, the hair was big and the flavors were even bigger. This was a huge decade for music – new wave, hip hop, synth-pop, hair metal and more enduring genres emerged and thrived in this era’s electric energy. Nightlife fed and fed off of the tasty tunes rippling across the radio waves. 

Cocktails needed an extra kick of caffeine in order for the club kids to make it to last call. In much the same way that chicken and waffles was invented to serve dinner AND breakfast to late-night partying crowds, the espresso martini became a delicious way to sip an evening cocktail and a morning cup of joe in one glass. 

Pure genius. There’s a reason this one has been experiencing a renaissance lately. Raspberry berets off to the espresso martini! 

In the ‘90s, a vibrant cocktail was as much an accessory as butterfly hairclips, tiny tortoiseshell sunglasses or a velvet choker. “Fun” is a simple word, but it’s an appropriate one to define this decade’s cultural temperament. Did anyone feel embarrassed to order a pretty pink cocktail at ladies night in the ‘90s? As if! 

This is also the decade that brought us Sex and the City and the girls’ go-to drink order: the Cosmopolitan. At this point, the Cosmo is basically synonymous with the ‘90s. The appletini and the lemon drop may have rode her coattails, but there’s no doubt that the Cosmo is the queen bee of ‘90s cocktails. 

...but again, the cultural pendulum swung away from sugar-soaked drinks toward fresh, “clean” cocktails made with real ingredients in the early 2000s. Everyone also got weirdly obsessed with muddling mint for some reason. 

Fresh flavors and muddled mint? That can only mean one thing: during the noughties, the mojito had its day in the Havana sun. 

The mojito is tropical and easy-drinking without being bogged down by high-calorie mixers and unnecessary additives. It was the perfect cocktail to sip as you buttoned your low-rise, flared jeans, fed your Tamagotchi and downloaded Britney Spears’ new album on LimeWire. 

Finally, we’ve arrived at the 2010s: the rise of the Phone Eats (or, in this case, drinks) First era of social media sharing. It seemed like every day a new themed cocktail bar or speakeasy hidden behind a laundromat was opening, and that’s still true today. Why? Because the experience of ordering and photographing the cocktail is just as important as enjoying it.  

The Aperol Spritz is the poster child of our current era of photogenic cocktails. Chic, approachable and cornea-searingly orange, this spritz became the ultimate IG feed drink. This year, people have been posting photo compilations from 2016 with starry-eyed nostalgia; keep an eye out the next time you see one on your timeline, because you might just see someone’s almond manicure clutching an Aperol Spritz.