From Cosmos to Lemon Drops: 10 Recipes That Prove '90s Martinis Are Back (2024)

FAQs

What was the co*cktail of the 90s? ›

Cosmopolitans, Margaritas, Appletinis, Sex on the Beach—these sweet, colourful co*cktails were all the rage at the end of the last millennium, and they're totally in again!

The lemon drop beverage was created by a man named Norman Jay Hobday at his bar, Henry Africa's, sometime during the 1970's. Norman originally served the drink in a co*cktail glass.

But, by some accounts, the Lychee Martini made waves at least as early as 1993, the year Decibel opened in the East Village with a lychee syrup–flavored vodka Martini.

The difference between a lemon drop martini and lemon drop shot is the measurements. For a lemon drop shot you'll use equal parts shaken and poured out into shot glasses. The martini has more vodka which actually makes the martini a stronger drink contrary to the popular assumption that a shot would be more boozy.

Hooch is the good-time, no stress, original alcoholic lemon brew. It began life in the 90s – totally shaking up the scene.

Cosmopolitan. The co*cktail that more than any other defines the decade, the Cosmopolitan was created in 1988 by Toby Cecchini but it was Dale DeGroff that perfected the Cosmo in 1996 and, with the help of both Madonna and Sex In The City, made it a huge hit.

The only spirits needed for this recipe are vodka and triple sec, which is an orange-flavored liqueur. For a splurge, look for Cointreau, which is a high-quality French triple sec. Other than that, all that's needed are lemon juice (fresh squeezed is best) and simple syrup.

With A Twist

If you'd like your martini with lemon instead of olives (and no olive brine), ask for it with a twist.

The term 'dirty' means that olive brine, usually from a jar of co*cktail olives, has been added to the drink. An olive garnish is typically assumed, too. Most bars add equal parts vermouth and brine, though you can specify 'extra dirty' or 'filthy' if you prefer more brine.

Perhaps that's why drinks from this era are so ingrained in mainstream memory. Consider fruity, vodka-based co*cktails like the Appletini, Sex on The Beach, Skyy Vodka Martini and gin and juice. Often neon-hued and brashly-flavored, these beverages weren't subtle in any sense of the word.

What was the most popular drink in 1998? ›

A favorite for much of history: Plain old H2O water. For more than two decades, soda was the No. 1 drink in the U.S. with consumption peaking in 1998 at 54 gallons a year, according industry tracker Beverage Digest.

Cosmopolitan. Despite the Cosmopolitan co*cktail being around since about the 1930s, it wasn't until the 90s that the pink-hued drink became hugely popular. Thanks to the likes of Carrie Bradshaw and her gang in Sex And The City the Cosmo is one of the most popular and well-recognised drinks around.

Lemon Drop

For those working the line, it's just another on a long list of drinks bartenders hate to make. Turns out, the sugar. . . ain't so sweet. The issue with a sugar-rimmed glass is the mess and the stickiness.

The lemon drop was invented sometime in the 1970s by Norman Jay Hobday, the founder and proprietor of Henry Africa's, a fern bar in the Russian Hill neighborhood of San Francisco, California that opened in 1969. It was originally served in a co*cktail glass. The Lemon Drop was most likely named after lemon drop candy.

A Cosmopolitan or Cosmo co*cktail is a drink made with GREY GOOSE® L'Orange Flavored Vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice and lime juice. It is often served in a martini co*cktail glass, but that alone doesn't make it a martini co*cktail. To be considered a vodka martini co*cktail, the drink must contain vodka and vermouth.

Taboo is a fruit-flavoured spirit made in the UK. Its main ingredients are vodka, white wine and peach and tropical fruit juices. Its alcohol content is 14.9% (29.8 proof). Taboo was first put out on the market in 1988 by drinks company First Drink.