IF YOU'RE LIKE most Americans, you'll celebrate Independence Day with a backyard barbecue and a few brews. After all, hamburgers, hot dogs, and frosty bottles of beer are about as American as, well, apple pie. It might surprise you to learn that the cocktail is, too. Marrying liquor with fruit, herbs, and spices is said to have been popularized in the late-19th century, though there is evidence that even colonial settlers were blending spirits with sweeteners. And during that nasty little slice of US history known as Prohibition, mixing bathtub booze with juice and spices became crucial for sneaky drinkers seeking to hide their illegal activity, and made it easier to stomach crudely distilled hooch.
Cocktails themselves are like history in a glass, with most modern drinks taking a page from the classics, known as "mother drinks," like the martini and the mint julep, the Manhattan and the daiquiri (though not the whipped-cream-covered spring-break drink that it's sadly become). From the obscure scoff law to the sassy and classy cosmopolitan, cocktails are often a snapshot of the times, a reflection of the state of pop culture and politics. And, let's be honest: they're fun to drink. So this Fourth of July, why not pay patriotic homage with a taste of Americana? And if you're feeling especially sentimental, there are plenty of old-school and contemporary classics that were invented right here in Boston.
With countless variations on the original, the martini is one of the most versatile and influential cocktails. The earliest martinis were made with gin and sweet vermouth, which eventually gave way to dry vermouth. The signature drink of James Bond, the martini was popularized as a glamorous, sophisticated cocktail and can be enjoyed with gin or vodka; sweet, dry, dirty, with olives, with a twist . . . the choices are endless. You can find stellar martinis at Bar 10 (Westin Copley Place, 10 Huntington Avenue, Boston, 617.424.7446), where the Beefeater-gin martini ($9.23) is a favorite among the crisply-dressed afterwork crowd, and Match (94 Mass Ave, Boston, 617.247.9922), where martinis run the gamut from purist to adventurous. Giggle over a cosmopolitan ($11) or exhilarate your inner troublemaker with a Pop Culture ($11), a childlike blend of strawberry vodka, Bacardi Coco, and cranberry and pineapple juices, poured into a glass with a Pop Rocks rim.
Another American classic is the Manhattan, a strong and simple blend of whiskey, vermouth, and bitters that dates back to the 1800s. (Some contemporary aficionados prefer to leave out the bitters and sweeten the drink with a maraschino cherry.) It's the perfect drink for a low-key night, and though you can find this drink just about anywhere, don't settle for any old one. John Gertsen of No. 9 Park (9 Park Street, Boston, 617.742.9991) is dedicated to the art of the cocktail, and he'll pour you one of the best Manhattans in town. Gertsen's revolving drink menu has included historical American cocktails like the Scoff Law (a Prohibition-era drink that's named for people who did, in fact, drink anyway) and the Seelbach, a drink that, legend has it, was created accidentally when an overzealous bartender popped a bottle of bubbly that splattered into a glass of bourbon. It's stories like these that sell Gertsen on obscure cocktails. "One of the things that's important about cocktails is the storytelling," he says. "The more people look into early cocktails, the more people think about the history of things."
We Bostonians are lucky to have another fan of the stories behind the spirits: Jackson Cannon, bar manager at Eastern Standard (528 Comm Ave, Boston, 617.532.9100) and our go-to guru on all things liquid. "Uniquely American cocktails are like jazz music," Cannon says. "There are numerous cocktails that seem like they shouldn't be mixed together. [American bartenders] are willing to embrace mistakes and creativity, and other cultures that have hundreds of years with their tradition may not be." In fact, Cannon is the founding member of the Jack Rose Society - a group of local bartenders who are dedicated to the art of the cocktail - named for the Jack Rose, which Cannon calls "the quintessential American cocktail." Made with applejack (an apple brandy dating back to colonial times), lemon, and homemade grenadine, Eastern Standard's Jack Rose ($10) should be added to your summer sipping repertoire immediately. Cannon also loves to whip up the warm-weather classic mint julep ($10), that sweet, earthy thirst-quencher and granddaddy of muddled trends like the mojito.
Boston itself has been the breeding ground for several now-classic cocktails, the most famous of which was born at Locke-Ober (3 Winter Place, Boston, 617.542.1340) in 1898. The Ward Eight ($8), made with Jim Beam, fresh lemon juice, sugar, and grenadine, was inspired, says Locke-Ober's director of private dining Nicole Perry, by politician Martin Lomasney's campaign to remain the political boss of Ward Eight in Boston's West End. Nearby, at the Taj Boston (15 Arlington Street, Boston, 617.536.5700), a fizzy blue elixir awaits you in the form of the newly christened Taj Fizz ($16), formerly known as the Ritz Fizz and created - you guessed it - in the hotel formerly knows as the Ritz.
If you're a true history buff and don't mind the drive, head out to the picturesque suburbs and the Wayside Inn (72 Wayside Inn Road, Sudbury, 978.443.1776), where neither the drinks nor the scenery seem to have changed in several hundred years. The inn boasts a powerful marriage of rum and ginger brandy called the Coow Woow ($5.50), which they claim is America's first cocktail. Since Sudbury is a historic Revolutionary War town, there's no better place to raise your glass on Independence Day.
So while it may seem strange to forgo your traditional light beer on America's birthday (and who says you have to?), mixing up a classic American cocktail is a terrific tribute to the US of A. A martini, a Manhattan, hell, even a something rimmed with Pop Rocks - drink whatever you want. After all, it's a free country. @
