History on Cocktail Drinks: Prohibition Inspired

Cocktail drinks can be traced back to 1520 when Cortez kept what he refered to a drink brought to Montezuma. But mixed cocktails really became popular during the time of Prohibition. Since alcohol was illegal, mixing what little was available with juices and other mixers in a cocktail shaker was essential to stretching the supply.

Using mixers helped cover up the nasty taste of the bathtub gin, moonshine, and other homemade alcohol during Prohibition. Drinkers found that gin was the easiest to make, which is why most cocktail drinks from the Prohibition period are gin-based.

The allure of the speakeasy brought a sense of danger, excitement, and naughtiness to the drinkers' atmosphere. Cocktails were named things like Between the Sheets, Kremlin Colonel, and Moscow Mule.

Cocktail shakers were introduced in the late 1800s by bartenders who were looking to both mix up their drinks and add some visual flair to their bars. The first versions were simply a large and small container, where the smaller one fit neatly inside the larger rim, creating a seal to shake the liquids together.

The end of World War I led to the roaring 20's, where celebrating life was the goal of the times and the cocktail shaker followed suit. Most were made of silver or nickel and in various shapes like golf bags, roosters, and penguins. High-society flappers would sip their martinis which were poured from the impressive sterling silver shakers.

After Prohibition, drink shakers were a feature of the big screen-always present with the leading men and ladies of the day. The mixing tins were mass-produced, so most every household had one to entertain their guests with.

Today, cocktail shakers are used around the world by bartenders every day. Using them for flair has been elevated to a whole new level, with some bartenders simply known as "Flairtenders" and entire bartending schools devoted to the use of flair when behind the bar.