Ten Drinks Named After People

A list of cocktails and other drinks named after people explaining the stories behind the Brandy Alexander, Tom Collins, Margarita and other drinks.

Brandy Alexander

No-one knows for sure which Alexander this dessert cocktail of cognac, crème de cacao, and cream, was named after. Some stories say Alexander the Great, which seems a little unlikely given that he lived in the 4th century BC, but you never know. Some say it was named after the Russian tsar, Alexander II, while the drama critic Alexander Woollcott claims it was named after him.

Yet another contender is Troy Alexander, a New York bartender who allegedly invented the drink when he wanted a white dessert cocktail for a themed dinner menu. Whoever it was named after, those of us who love these dangerously more-ish drinks are just glad someone invented it.

Bloody Mary

As with the Brandy Alexander, there are several contenders for which Mary this spicy vodka and tomato juice cocktail is named after. Many people believe it was Queen Mary I of England, who was nicknamed Bloody Mary.

Other possibilities include the Hollywood actress Mary Pickford, a Chicago waitress who worked at a bar called The Bucket of Blood, the girlfriend of a customer who the cocktail was first made for in Harry’s New York Bar. That customer was Vladimir Smirnoff of the vodka company, and some say that Bloody Mary is simply a corruption of Vladimir. (And the Mary Pickford cocktail was definitely named after Mary Pickford!)

Ginger Rogers

Another cocktail inspired by and named after a movie star, in this case the legendary dancing partner of Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers. You’ll have to like gin and ginger to enjoy this one, as it has gin and both ginger ale and some regular ginger in it.

Dom Pérignon

Dom Pérignon was a French Benedictine monk who did a lot to improve the quality of wine from the Champagne region of France in the late 17th century, but contrary to popular belief he did not invent the sparkling drink known as champagne. Dom Pérignon was long dead when sparkling wine was first perfected and Moët & Chandon named one of their prestigious champagnes after him.

Tio Pepe

Tio Pepe is Spanish for Uncle Joe, and the sherry is indeed named after one of the founder’s uncles.

Rob Roy

This whisky cocktail was first created for the opening of an operetta, Rob Roy, after the Scottish outlaw and hero, Rob Roy MacGregor.

Pimm’s

James Pimm was a farmer’s son from Kent in England, who went on to run an oyster bar in London. Here he created this gin-based drink using the inevitable ‘secret recipe’ of herbs and liqueurs. He intended it as a medicinal digestif, but it proved extremely popular as a pre-dinner or lunchtime drink, and remains one of the UK’s most popular drinks today.

Tom Collins

There’s so much confusion about how and when the gin-based Tom Collins cocktail was first made, and by who, and who it was named after, it’s probably safest to say only that it was named after someone. But it may not even have been a Tom Collins.

Margarita

The history of the world’s most popular tequila cocktail is shrouded in mystery, with several contenders for who created it first, and therefore several contenders for who Margarita might be. One possibility is a Dallas socialite called Margarita Sames, who may have been the first to make the drink. One bartender says he made the first one to honour the singer Peggy Lee, and named it Margarita, which was her full Christian name in Spanish. Other women named Marjorie or Rita are said to have lent their name to the drink by other possible inventors of it.

Bellini

It was the colour of the Bellini cocktail which caused its creator, Giuseppe Cipriani, to name it after the 15th-century Venetian artist Giovanni Bellini.