Only time will tell
You no doubt have your own understanding of what is popular and what is a “classic” therefore we can make some cultural distinctions together. Men love to talk about fast cars. One of the most popular fast cars is a Holden Monaro. I know this for a fact as I have experienced first hand how this sporty beast rumbles down the road pushed along by a powerful engine. How its loud exhaust causes heads to turn and draws favourable comments when stopped at traffic lights. So how does this compare the Mustang? I have it on good authority that both are considered classics because they have been around for over 25 years, and both are collectable classics.
Now when I think of classical music I hear mum’s recordings of Chopin, Vivaldi and Gershwin playing in my head, but not all at once (lol). This music is complex and bittersweet. It tugs at the heart strings and generally appeals to the cultured and elderly. Popular music the likes of Ed Sheeran Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber are for a younger audience so we would say it is pop music. Having said this I do think Ed Sheeran’s music is very melodic may reach classic status in time!
So there is a crossroad where old becomes new and popular becomes classic. The Beatles are the best examples of musicians whose music that has stood the test of time and can move both young and old.
Get Back
Classic cocktails were created for societies influential and wealthy classes.
Cocktail folklore suggests that the first classic was a sour cocktail invented way back in the 1800s by the British Navy during their long voyages across the seas, where sailors would mix rum with lime juice to ward off the effects of scurvy and malnutrition. It’s not hard to see why this drink has become a classic.
A classic cocktail is defined as a cocktail that appeared on the social scene after 1887, around the time that Jerry Thomas’ Bar-Tender’s Guide was published. The guide was the first proper cocktail book ever published in the U.S. and gave rise to all sorts of mixology including the three classic cocktail we know and love today
- Old Fashioned made with Bourbon sugar syrup and angostura bitters
- Manhattan made with Bourbon, sweet vermouth, and angostura bitters.
- Dry Martini made with Dry gin, dry vermouth, and orange bitters
The “classic” cocktail appeals to most cocktail connoisseurs and meets a common high standard for quality, appeal, longevity and influence. Below are 7 such cocktails that fit these criteria
The Magnificent Seven
- Old Fashioned
- Manhattan
- Dry Martini
- Daiquiri
- Negroni
- Margarita
- Espresso Martini
The Dry Martini is considered the classiest cocktail while an Espresso martini was voted the tastiest. The bitter Negroni has fallen into both popular and classic status while the Margarita has emerged as the most popular cocktail in the world (according to research conducted for World Cocktail Day). The Margarita is a classic tequila and lime mix which can be considered a cocktail “sour”
Here comes the sun
Popularity comes and goes with the seasons, but classics stand the test of time
Sour cocktails are both classic and more popular than ever. Bars across the world have invented many sour cocktail recipes, Variations include changing the spirit mixed with lime juice and adding egg white for a frothy foam. A Gimlet is a classic gin sour without the egg foam while a tequila sour’s silky foam has made this drink the more popular.
Popular Classic
Are you ready to mix up your own version of a popular classic sour?
All you need is a spirit, a citrus, and a sweetener, The citrus gives the cocktail its ‘sour’ flavour, and then the syrup sweetener balances out the drink.
The trick to a good sour cocktail is to have freshly squeezed citrus juice. The way to a perfect sour is to use Botanikos Lime simple syrup with fresh lime juice and it really doesn’t matter what spirit you chose because the cocktail will be bursting with bold lime flavours.
Serve up your classic Tequila Sour cocktail in a wine glass, or an old-fashioned rocks glass. Salt or sugar rim the rim. No need to garnish needed!