Where do cocktails get their names?

A cocktail is the perfect alcoholic beverage to have during the summer. If you are a cocktail drinker, you will have noticed that some of them have rather unusual names. Have you ever wondered where the names came from? We can tell you!

Sex on the beach

Sex on the beach may be one of the most unusual names and sometimes the most awkward drink to order. But how did this vodka peach schnapps drink get the saucy name?

Sex on the beach usually has peach schnapps and vodka as its alcohol which is mixed with orange juice, pineapple, and cranberry juice. It is actually thanks to one of its ingredients that it got its name.

According to HuffPost, it is believed that Sex on the beach got its name after a peach schnapps distributor sponsored a contest which offered prize money to the bar that sold the most of the drink.

Bartender Ted Pizio created the iconic cocktail at his Florida bar. His reasoning to name the drink Sex on the beach was because ‘sex’ and ‘beach’ are the main reason holidaymakers and spring breakers visit Florida each year, according to Vine Pair.

Piña colada

Even if you’ve never had a Piña colada, you have surely heard of it through a song. The name, Piña colada loosely translates to ‘strained pineapple’ and consists of rum, coconut cream, and pineapple juice.

This creamy cocktail originated in Puerto Rico and even became the area’s national drink in 1978.

The origin of the Piña colada is unclear but some suggest it was created in 1954 by Ramón ‘Monchito’ Marrero, a bartender in the Caribe Hilton in San Juan. Others suggest that the rum-based cocktail was actually created by pirates around the 1800s and 1900s, as reported by Insider.

Bloody Mary

The Bloody Mary has quite a brutal name, and a brutal history to go with it. This tomato juice and vodka cocktail does have a few supposed origins.

One of them suggests the drink originated in Harry's New York Bar in Paris. According to Esquire, Fernand Petiot was one of the first to make a ‘Bloody Mary’ in the 1920s but it is believed that it was first called the ‘Bucket of Blood’.

Another popular story suggests the cocktail got its name after a campaign for Smirnoff vodka. American actor Geroge Jessel - who starred in the ad - said the cocktail was actually named after his friend Mary Geraghty.

Finally, one of the most popular origin stories for Bloody Mary is that it was named after the English monarch, Queen Mary Tudor. She herself was nicknamed ‘Bloody Mary’ for the number of Protestants she burned at the stake.

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