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What are the academic/expert taxonomies of cocktails and mixed drinks? Are there different approaches?
Hello! Thanks for your inquiry on academic/expert taxonomies of cocktails and mixed drinks
The short version is that cocktails, nowadays defined as an “iced drink of wine or distilled liquor mixed with flavoring ingredients” have been classified in several ways, proposed in classic and contemporary bartender guides. A representative classification of cocktails includes categories such as ancestrals, sours, spirit-forward, duos and trios, champagne cocktails, highballs, collinses, fizzes, juleps and smashes, hot drinks, flips and nogs, pousse family, tropical-style, punch, and old bird cocktails. Other cocktail classifications have been proposed, with the purpose of simplifying the categories and helping the bartender and user when mixing their drinks.
METHODOLOGY
In order to answer your inquiry, we searched through corporate websites, trusted media sites, user forums and review sites. Although some of the sources found were relatively old, they provide the perspective you are asking for about this topic. In this response, we include a representative set of cocktail classifications.
DEFINITION OF COCKTAIL
A source, The Spruce, provides us with different definitions of what a cocktail is. The original definition was published in 1806 in The Balance and Columbian Repository, as follows: “Cocktail is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters.” Our source notes that this combination of ingredients is still what defines a cocktail. Later, in 1831, there was a reference to brandy, gin, or rum in a mix of “a third of the spirit to two-thirds of the water; add bitters, and enrich with sugar and nutmeg.”
Nowadays, the modern definition of a cocktail, as included in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is "an iced drink of wine or distilled liquor mixed with flavoring ingredients." This definition is obviously very broad, and The Spruce notes that it reflects the current trend of considering that any mixed drink is a cocktail.
CLASSIFICATION OF COCKTAILS
According to an expert, “Over the centuries, many different styles of mixed drinks have emerged; some have faded, some have evolved, and some have endured for generations.” The same expert underscores that there have been many classifications of cocktails, included in classic and contemporary bartender guides. The problem is that it is always difficult to fit a specific cocktail is one of the defined categories or, on the contrary, one cocktail may fit into several of the proposed groups. For instance, he says that is very difficult to categorize a Bloody Mary, and asks “is a mojito a highball, a julep relative or a tropical swizzle?” He says that whatever the categorization, there will be always exceptions.
With that caveat, examples of cocktail taxonomy are included below.
A BASIC CATEGORIZATION OF COCKTAILS
In an article in Serious Eat, the expert Paul Clarke proposes a comprehensive classification of cocktails, which we are going to take as the basic example. The categorization is as follows:
Ancestrals. The original, early 19th century-style cocktails, “composed of a base spirit lightly adorned with sugar (in some cases, the sweetener appears in the form of a dash or two of liqueur such as maraschino or curacao), bitters, and water (usually in its frozen form), and served either straight up or on the rocks.” Examples include Old Fashioned, Sazerac cocktails.
Sours. Cocktails in which citrus juice has the leading role. Subdivided into Simple Sours, with a base spirit, citrus juice, sugar, and eventually egg white for body and foam (Whiskey Sour, Daiquiri, etc.) and Complex Sours, with syrups, liqueurs, or fortified wines replacing sugar (Clover Club, Margarita, Sidecar, Cosmopolitan, Last Word).
Spirit-Forward Cocktails. “composed of a base spirit with a modifier of vermouth, or another fortified wine such as sherry, quinquina, or port, often accompanied by other ingredients such as bitters or small doses of liqueurs or syrups.” (Martini, Manhattan, Negroni, Bijou, El Presidente, Red Hook).
Duos and Trios. “composed of a base spirit with a modifier of a liqueur (and sometimes a dash of bitters).” Examples: Alaska Cocktail, Stinger, Revolver.
Champagne Cocktails: composed of champagne or sparkling wine, either as the base ingredient (Champagne Cocktail, Buck's Fizz), or splashed atop another drink, such as a sour (Old Cuban, Air Mail, French 75), a spirit-forward (Seelbach), or an ancestral (Morning Glory Royale).
Highballs, Collinses, Fizzes. This category is subdivided into Simple Highballs, base spirit with ice and club soda, ginger ale, cola (Highball, Pimm's Cup, Presbyterian, Rum and Coke); Complex Highballs, with added juice, liqueurs, etc. (Dark and Stormy, Americano, Anejo Highball). Collins, which is a highball with lemon or lime juice and sugar (Tom Collins, Rickey). Fizzes, similar to the aforementioned, but shaken with ice, without soda, and topped with a bit of soda and served without ice (Silver Fizz, Ramos Fizz).
Juleps and Smashes. A category that emphasizes fresh mint, sugar and the base spirit, with a great deal of ice (Mint Julep, Champagne Julep, Whiskey Smash, Mojito).
Hot Drinks. As its name says, served hot. Include coffee-based drinks (Irish Coffee), Hot Buttered Rum, Hot Toddy, Tom & Jerry.
Flips and Nogs. Defined by the presence of whole eggs. Flips, an elaborate cocktail, may include cream, beer, and maple syrup (Fort Washington Flip, Colleen Bawn). Nogs are composed of the base spirit, eggs, milk or cream, and sugar (Holiday Eggnog).
Pousse Family. The original 19th century Pousse Cafes were cocktails made of liqueurs and syrups, in a layered presentation. (B-52, Buttery Nipple, Dirty Leprechaun).
Tropical-Style Drinks. Evoking a tropical environment, these exotic drinks are composed of a base spirit, fruit juice, and syrups or liqueurs, and served with a lot of ice (Daiquiri, Planter's Punch, Zombie, Singapore Sling).
Punch. Punch comprises a broad variety of mixes, with the characteristic of being prepared not individually, but in a large batch. Punch can be simple or complex, hot or cold, weak or strong.
There are other styles of cocktails, but their popularity have declined. Among them: Cobblers, Beer & Cider-based Drinks, Bloodies, Wine-based Cocktails, Milk Punch.
OTHER APPROACHES TO COCKTAIL TAXONOMY
Although the above stated classification to a large extent summarizes and represents the many classifications included in bartender guides, other approaches include the following:
An authority on the subject, Gaz Regan proposes in his 2003 book, The Joy of Mixology, to categorize cocktails into core families. This classification concept is designed to help bartenders remember a great deal of recipes, by identifying the key features of a cocktail and then choosing the right spirits to mix it. He has also proposed new categories, such as Punk Cocktails. He says, “The Punk Cocktails I usually refer to arose in the late ‘80s, early ‘90s when very few people were being creative behind the bar, but that’s all changed now. That doesn’t mean, though, that novelty cocktails have disappeared, and I think that the Molecular Mixologists are coming up with some very cool concepts that are much fun, AND well thought out in many cases.”
The Bittercube co-founder Ira Koplowitz has proposed a classification of cocktails named the Seven Pillars, with the aim of demystifying “the art of cocktail-making for bartenders and consumers alike.” The general idea is to simplify the classification of cocktails. This taxonomy proposes the following groups, organized within two large main categories. Shaken cocktails: Sour, Daisy, Collins, and 75; Stirred cocktails: Old fashioned, Two-One-Two; Stepladder.
Another option is to look at cocktails according to their degree of incluence. Inspired by the classic cocktails, an author has proposed a list of the most influential cocktails of all times. Although not properly a classification, to a certain extent the list cover a broad field of options. The influential are: the Martini, the Daiquiri, the Old Fashioned, Tom Collins, the Bloody Mary, the Negroni, and the Bellini.
CONCLUSION
Cocktails, nowadays defined as an “iced drink of wine or distilled liquor mixed with flavoring ingredients” have been classified in several ways, proposed in classic and contemporary bartender guides. A representative classification of cocktails includes categories such as ancestrals, sours, spirit-forward, duos and trios, champagne cocktails, highballs, collinses, fizzes, juleps and smashes, hot drinks, flips and nogs, pousse family, tropical-style, punch, and old bird cocktails. Other cocktail classifications have been proposed, with the purpose of simplifying the categories and helping the bartender and user when mixing their drinks.
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