IBA (Contemporary Classics)

Sugary, refreshing, and herbaceous, Mojito is a traditional cocktail based on rum as the key ingredient. It has a relatively low alcohol content (about 10%). Although Havana is considered its birthplace, the origin of this simple cocktail is still disputed. The original Cuban cocktail recipe includes white rum, sugar, lime juice, soda water, and spearmint yerba buena that grows on the island, but almost every mint variety can be used in the mix if yerba buena is not available. The components of the cocktail are added in a particular order: sugar and lime juice are gently mashed before mint and rum are added to the combination; the cocktail is then briefly stirred and topped with ice and sparkling soda water. Mojito is usually served in a glass garnished with lime wedges and mint leaves. It is considered one of the most popular summer cocktails, which gained worldwide popularity when it was presented as the favorite drink of Ernest Hemingway. There are several versions of Mojito, and many bars in Havana use Angostura bitters or add lemons instead of lime to cut Mojito's sweetness. The so-called Rose Mojito contains rose-flavored spirit Lanique, while a Mojito made without alcohol is called Virgin Mojito or Nojito.

A Brazilian national cocktail called Caipirinha is made with cachaça, sugar, and lime. Cachaça is the most common distilled alcoholic drink in Brazil, and it can be consumed by itself or used as a base for a number of mixed beverages. This refreshing cocktail is simple to prepare: sugar and lime that has been cut into quarters should be gently muddled together with a wooden spoon before adding cachaça and ice. The traditional way to make Caipirinha is in a single large jar that can be shared amongst people, but it can also be served in an old-fashioned glass with a lime wedge garnish.

A classic cocktail that was created in New York City in the 1940s, Moscow Mule consists of vodka, ginger beer, and lime juice. Because it contains ginger beer, Moscow Mule is a type of buck (a mixed drink with ginger beer or ale, spirit, and citrus), so it is often referred to as Vodka Buck. The cocktail is traditionally served in a copper mug, on the rocks, with a lime wheel garnish. Vodka is typically associated with Russia, while mule was supposedly added to the name because ginger beer adds a kick of flavor, hence the name Moscow Mule.

Probably the most famous tequila-based cocktail in the world, Margarita is made with a combination of Cointreau, lime juice, and tequila. The cocktail can be made in a few varieties: straight up (chilled with ice, then strained), frozen Margarita (with blended ice), or on the rocks (over ice). Regardless of the style, it is usually served in a margarita glass characterized by its rim which is rubbed with lime or lemon, then spun in salt or sugar. Some say that the inventor of the cocktail is Carlos Danny Herrera, who supposedly created it in 1938 in Mexico for Marjorie King, a dancer who was allergic to almost every spirit except tequila, although others claim that it was named after Margarita Cansino, also known as the famous actress Rita Hayworth. There is also a third theory - Margarita was adapted from the Daisy - a prohibition drink tweaked to use tequila instead of brandy (the Spanish word for daisy is margarita). Regardless of the origin story, the cocktail gained a huge leap in popularity only after Mariano Martinez created a frozen Margarita machine in 1971.

Mimosa is a classic breakfast cocktail that transforms a simple morning meal into a decadent event. The cocktail is made with freshly squeezed orange juice and Champagne or any dry sparkling wine. Grand Marnier or bitters can also be added in order to elevate the flavors even further. To prepare it, orange juice is poured into a champagne flute, and it is then topped with Champagne or sparkling wine. It is believed that the famous director Alfred Hitchcock introduced the Mimosa as a brunch staple in the United States in the 1940s. The cocktail is named after an Australian flower that was introduced to Europe by Captain Cook, and the first Mimosa was supposedly served in Paris in 1925 by Frank Meier, who was the head barman at The Ritz at the time.

Cuba Libre is a Cuban cocktail based on rum, with the addition of cola and lime. In Spanish, its name means Free Cuba, and although the exact origin of this cocktail is still a mystery, it was probably first mixed in Havana in August 1900, after the Spanish-American war, when Coca-Cola was available in Cuba. In the past, the cocktail was viewed as exotic, but nowadays it is popular throughout the world, and it is often referred to as Rum and Coke. A common way to serve it is on the rocks with a lime wheel, but some variations (such as Rum and Coke) exclude the lime wheel or substitute white rum with golden or dark rum. 

Bellini is a classic Italian cocktail made with a combination of Prosecco and white peach nectar or white peach purée. Peach purée or nectar is first poured into a chilled flute glass, and it is then topped with Prosecco before being gently stirred and served. Outside of Italy, Bellini is often made with champagne, but any sparkling wine will do. The cocktail was invented by a bartender named Giuseppe Cipriani in the 1930s or 1940s at Harry’s Bar in Venice, and it was named after the famous Italian painter Giovanni Bellini. Today, Bellini is especially popular as a brunch drink.

Mai Tai is a popular rum-based cocktail originating from Oakland in 1944. Its name means good in Tahitian. In addition to rum, which can be both spiced and coconut flavored, the cocktail contains lime juice, orgeat syrup, and orange liqueur, typically curaçao, but in some versions it can include grapefruit juice, bitters, or grenadine. All ingredients should be vigorously shaken with ice for a few minutes before the cocktail is strained into an old-fashioned glass. Before serving, Mai Tai is traditionally garnished with fruits such as pineapple, orange, and cherries. It became a trendy cocktail in the 1950s, when Elvis Presley promoted it in his movie, and since then it is heavily associated with Tiki culture and Polynesian-style settings.

Piña Colada is a sweet and creamy tropical cocktail that has been celebrated as the national drink of Puerto Rico since 1978. It is a simple but delicious mixture of rum, pineapple juice, coconut milk, and coconut cream, often shaken or blended with ice, served in a chilled glass, then garnished with a piece of pineapple or a cherry on top. The cocktail can be made with different types of rum or different proportions of ingredients than those used in the original recipe, but it can also be served frozen. Regarding the cocktail's origins, a bartender named Ramón "Monchito" Marrero Pérez made this cocktail in 1954 at the Caribe Hilton Hotel in San Juan, which is now considered a birthplace of the Piña Colada.

Mint Julep is a cocktail that originated in the 18th century in Kentucky, and it is widely consumed throughout the American South. It contains bourbon, sugar syrup, water, crushed ice, and fresh mint leaves (usually spearmint). In the 18th century, Mint Julep was originally prescribed for stomach-aches, while bourbon was sometimes replaced with aged gin. However, since 1938, it is associated with the Kentucky Derby as an official drink. The drink is prepared by muddling fresh mint with sugar and crushed ice until the mint releases its essential oils, and the cocktail is then topped with bourbon and water. Although it was traditionally served in a silver cup in the past, nowadays it is commonly served in a tall glass (collins or highball) with a straw.

Hemingway Special is a Cuban cocktail made with a combination of white rum, maraschino, grapefruit juice, and fresh lime juice. To prepare it, all ingredients are shaken with ice, then strained into a double cocktail glass. This Daiquiri variety was one of the favorite cocktails of Ernest Hemingway, who used to regularly order it at El Floridita bar in Havana, hence the name of the drink.

Tequila Sunrise is a classic cocktail that evokes a summer sunrise in a glass. It is made with three basic ingredients: tequila, orange juice, and grenadine syrup. The cocktail was invented around 1930 with a base of tequila and lime juice, soda water, and crème de cassis, but the modern version originated in the 1970s in Sausalito, California, when the cocktail gained a huge leap in popularity because Mick Jagger named the Rolling Stones' tour after it. A traditional way to serve Tequila Sunrise is on the rocks, unmixed, in a tall collins glass, but when presented in a highball glass, the color of its combined ingredients (with grenadine poured slowly through the glass) resembles a sunrise even better.