When is World Cocktail Day 2023? Why it’s called a cocktail, best recipes - cosmopolitan, blue lagoon, woo woo

Whether you’re a rum person, a tequila lover, or even if you don’t drink alcohol, the chances are you have a favourite cocktail or mocktail recipe.

These drinks are arguably the most flavoursome liquids on the planet, and can appeal to almost any palate. Whether you like sweet, sour, bitter, savory or umami, there’s a mix of drinks out there for you.

As if just thinking about these drinks isn’t enough, you’ve got a great excuse to celebrate them coming up. The ‘official’ birthday of the cocktail is set to take place in May.

Many of Britain’s 106,000 bars, pubs and restaurants will be marking the occasion, so it’s a good time to look out for deals at your local. Meanwhile, households up and down the country are likely to be dusting off their cocktail shakers to recreate their favourites at home.

So why is a cocktail called a cocktail - and how can you make your very own ‘out-out’ cocktails in your own kitchen? Here’s what you need to know.

When is World Cocktail Day 2023?

World Cocktail Day 2023 takes place on the same date every year. This year’s edition falls on Saturday (13 May).

It’s held on this day because it is said to be the first date on which a cocktail was officially defined. In 1806, New York newspaper ‘The Balance and Columbian Repository’ received a letter asking what a cocktail was.

Responding in the outlet’s 13 May edition, editor Harry Croswell described one as: “A stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters.” He also wittily referred to the style of drink as being “an excellent electioneering potion”, as anyone who swallows it “is ready to swallow anything else”.

Historians have also found mentions of the word dating back to another US publication in 1803 and a UK one in 1798 - although it’s unclear whether the word meant the same thing to the people who used it. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the word used to mean “a horse with a docked tail which sticks up” in 1750.

The term ‘cocktail’ now has an extended meaning in the drinks world. The OED defines it as: ‘any alcoholic drink made by mixing a spirit or spirits with other ingredients such as a liqueur, fruit juice, etc.’

How can you make cocktails at home?

While cocktails at bars tend to be made using shakers and fancy techniques, all you need to make them at home is ice, a spoon, several spirits and mixers, and some theatrical looking glasses to provide that special ‘night out’ vibe. From experience, NationalWorld does not recommend trying to replicate the bottle chucking you tend to see at high-end establishments.

Use the ice to keep your glasses cool and then add in your spirits, mixing them with the spoon. Here’s what you need to do to make some of the UK’s most popular cocktails:

• Mojito mocktail

We thought we’d begin with a refreshing mocktail that everyone can enjoy this Saturday. The mojito is usually a rum-based Cuban punch, but this version of the drink delivers all the flavour without the booze. Here’s the process:

• Using a pestle and mortar (or a small bowl and a heavy kitchen implement, like a rolling pin), knock together a tablespoon of sugar and a handful of mint leaves.
• Squeeze three limes
• Put crushed ice into two glasses followed by the mint mix and the lime juice
• Fill the glasses with soda water, tasting as you go to get your flavour balance how you want it.

• Cosmopolitan

This classic cocktail will require a spirit measuring thimble or any old kitchen jug. To make one cosmo, you’ll need to mix together:

• 45ml lemon vodka (you can add 5ml lemon juice to 40ml vodka if you can’t find a readymade bottle)
• 30ml cranberry juice
• 10ml lime juice
• 15ml Cointreau

You’ll want to give these a good stir together and then add a slice of lemon or orange as a garnish.

• Blue Lagoon

A bright blue incarnation, a Blue Lagoon can be spotted from a mile away in a bar. To make it, you need to mix:

• One part Blue Curacao
• One part vodka 
• Four parts lemonade

With vodka, it goes without saying that the better the quality of the vodka you use, the better the drinking experience will be. Use a lemon or orange slice to garnish the drink.

• Woo Woo

This cocktail is expressly intended for the cocktail umbrella brigade. You will need to stir together:

• One part peach schnapps
• Two parts vodka
• Four parts cranberry juice

Typically, you would garnish this creation with a lime wedge.