A lot of the cocktails you find in high-end bars today are based on the classics. But whether or not a single drink has been the most influential is almost impossible to say. There is a lot to consider when determining which drinks influenced the cocktail lists of today.
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First you have to look at all of the popular drink families like the sours, Old Fashioneds and so on. If you take just the sour family alone, then a margarita would fit the bill -- as would the daiquiri, white lady or sidecar. They're all really important well-known drinks. But we're not taking this family-by-family. That would be easy. Below are the seven most influential cocktails inspiring today's drinks. Period.
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Out of the seven classics below, there is not one that I feel has been distinctly more influential than another. That said, there are a number of drinks that I have come across in the last ten years that perfectly embody the spirit of the classics but have that contemporary edge like The Bramble by Dick Bradsell, The Gin Mule, The Old Cuban by Audrey Saunders, The Elder Fashioned by Phil Ward, The Gin Blossom by Julie Reiner and The Penicillin by Sammy Ross to name a few.
Here are two recipes for you to test out that I believe will stand the test of time:
The Gin Blossom Recipe
By Julie Reiner of The Flatiron Lounge in New York City
Ingredients
1 ½ oz Plymouth Gin
¾ oz Apricot Eau de Vie
¾ oz Martini Bianco Vermouth
2 dashes Orange Bitters
Directions
Stir ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail coup. Garnish with a lemon twist.
The Penicillin Recipe
By Sammy Ross of Milk & Honey in New York City
Ingredients
2 oz Chivas 12 year Old
¾ oz Fresh Lemon Juice
¾ oz Honey-Ginger Syrup*
¼ oz Laphroaig 10 year Old Single Malt
Directions
Shake ingredients with ice and strain over fresh ice into a highball glass. Garnish with a piece of candied ginger.
* For the honey ginger syrup, stir fresh pieces of ginger into a combination of water and honey, about half and half and heat to infuse ginger flavor. Chill and filter ginger pieces.
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The Martini
<strong>The ultimate cocktail: The Martini</strong><br>
The most important cocktail for my money <a href="http://www.foodrepublic.com/2012/04/25/great-mysteries-martini-solved?utm_source=huffingtonpost.com&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=cocktails" target="_hplink">is the martini</a>. It's certainly the most symbolic -- when you look at the cocktail glass it conjures up all of these images of the Rat Pack and James Bond. The glass alone says sophistication and it has become the universal symbol of cocktail culture. Even though the Manhattan is the drink that led to the martini, the martini stole its thunder in terms of popularity.<br><br>
<strong>Related: <a href="http://www.foodrepublic.com/2012/04/25/great-mysteries-martini-solved?utm_source=huffingtonpost.com&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=cocktails" target="_hplink">The Great Mysteries Of The Martini, Solved</a></strong>
The Daiquiri
<strong>If you can only master one drink: The Daiquiri</strong><br>
The daiquiri is the gold standard of all sour cocktails. It's simple and clean -- just rum, fresh lime and a tiny bit of sugar to balance the lime. It's exquisite. The margarita is very similar to the daiquiri just with tequila instead of rum, Cointreau instead of sugar and the addition of salt, which is what I think made it very popular since it touches every bit of your palate.<br><br>
<strong>
Related: <a href="http://www.foodrepublic.com/2012/05/04/sorrel-daiquiri-recipe?utm_source=huffingtonpost.com&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=cocktails" target="_hplink">Sorrel Daiquiri Recipe</a></strong><br><br>
<em>Photo via Flickr user <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kurmanphotos/6798038014/" target="_hplink">kurmanstaff</a></em>
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The Old Fashioned
<strong>Drinking history: The Old Fashioned</strong><br>
If you look at a drink like the Old Fashioned (named for its status as the earliest cocktail), it is really just sugar, bitters, ice and rye whiskey or bourbon. But if you look closer, you can see how bartenders have continued to use this formula in new versions of the drink. You can find variations like the Oaxaca old-fashioned (with mescal) or the elder fashioned (a version with gin and St. Germain) that my good friend Phil Ward invented.<br><br>
<strong>Related: <a href="http://www.foodrepublic.com/2011/09/15/rare-breed-old-fashioned-cocktail?utm_source=huffingtonpost.com&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=cocktails" target="_hplink">Rare Breed Old Fashioned Cocktail Recipe</a></strong><br><br>
<em>Photo via Flickr user <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/galant/3833955220/" target="_hplink">thebittenword.com</a></em>
The Tom Collins
<strong>The definition of refreshing: Tom Collins</strong><br>
The Tom Collins is a long refreshing cocktail with a basic recipe that has led to many great drinks. It's basically a highball that's been made very, very well. Making a Tom Collins is almost like making a margarita or white lady. It's essentially a gin sour that's been lengthened with soda water to make it a tall, refreshing drink. So if you look at something <a href="http://www.foodrepublic.com/2012/04/18/how-drink-properly-havana-cuba?utm_source=huffingtonpost.com&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=cocktails" target="_hplink">like a Cuba Libre</a> (coke, rum and lime), the Dark and Stormy (rum and ginger ale) or even the <a href="http://www.foodrepublic.com/2011/06/19/simple-mojito-cocktail-recipe?utm_source=huffingtonpost.com&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=cocktails" target="_hplink">mojito</a> (muddled mint, sugar, lime, rum and soda) you can see the Tom Collins' influence. A mojito is almost like a rum Tom Collins with mint.<br><br>
<strong>Related: <a href="http://www.foodrepublic.com/2011/08/05/how-make-10-second-mojito?utm_source=huffingtonpost.com&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=cocktails" target="_hplink">How To Make The 10-Second Mojito</a></strong><br><br>
<em>Photo via Flickr user <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/3n/4789976801/" target="_hplink">3n</a></em>
The Bloody Mary
<strong>The only drink that's acceptable to drink in the morning: The Bloody Mary</strong><br>
<a href="http://www.foodrepublic.com/2011/11/10/ultimate-bloody-mary-recipe?utm_source=huffingtonpost.com&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=cocktails" target="_hplink">The Bloody Mary</a> is, of course, the drink that makes it OK to drink cocktails in the afternoon (or morning). It's also the cocktail that bars that don't specialize in cocktails often do well. You can go to your local dive bar and they may have their own version of the Bloody Mary. Pubs in England that don't serve any other cocktail (with the exception of Pimm's Cup) will serve them. It's absolutely everywhere.<br><br>
I credit the Bloody Mary's success to the amount of flavor that is in it -- its almost like drinking <a href="http://www.foodrepublic.com/2011/07/28/simple-gazpacho-recipe?utm_source=huffingtonpost.com&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=cocktails" target="_hplink">gazpacho</a>. It really is a meal. And like all of these influential drinks, there are many versions of it like the red snapper (with gin), the Bloody Maria (with tequila) and the Bloody Caesar (with Clamato juice).<br><br>
<strong>Related: <a href="http://www.foodrepublic.com/2012/06/01/7-ways-upgrade-boring-bloody-mary?utm_source=huffingtonpost.com&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=cocktails" target="_hplink">7 Ways To Upgrade That Boring Bloody Mary</a></strong><br><br>
<em>Photo via Flickr user <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/hawleyjr/348406575/" target="_hplink">hawleyjr</a></em>
The Negroni
<strong>The definitive apéritif: The Negroni</strong><br>
I always refer to <a href="http://www.foodrepublic.com/topics/negroni-week?utm_source=huffingtonpost.com&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=cocktails" target="_hplink">the Negroni</a> as the Guinness of cocktails since most people don't like Guinness until they have had three. (After the third, their palate has adjusted.) It's similar with the Negroni. As the Italians know, there is truly nothing better to drink before you eat than a bitter cocktail like this one. The basic formula of equal parts gin, vermouth and Campari is a jumping off point for many other bitter drinks.<br><br>
<strong>Related: <a href="http://www.foodrepublic.com/2011/10/25/photo-gallery-7-creative-negroni-spins?utm_source=huffingtonpost.com&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=cocktails" target="_hplink">Photo Gallery: 7 Creative Negroni Spins</a></strong><br><br>
<em>Photo via Flickr user <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gpeters/3383453027/" target="_hplink">Geoff Peters 604</a></em>
The Bellini
<strong>When a glass of Champagne just isn't enough: The Bellini</strong><br>
The Bellini is a beautiful, refreshing drink that is low in alcohol and is really closer to drinking wine. No spirits touch these drinks and, yet, they're still considered cocktails. The Champagne cocktail adds another dimension to a great glass of Champagne with the introduction of some bitters on top of a sugar cube that is dropped into the Champagne, suddenly turning it into a bitters and soda-style drink. Just much fancier.<br><br>
<strong>Related: <a href="http://www.foodrepublic.com/2011/10/19/how-order-champagne-ballerhttp://www.foodrepublic.com/2011/10/19/how-order-champagne-baller?utm_source=huffingtonpost.com&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=cocktails" target="_hplink">How To Order Champagne Like A Baller</a></strong><br><br>
<em>Photo via Flickr user <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chodhound/5991447669/" target="_hplink">ChodHound</a></em>
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Cheers,
DIA
@drinkinamerica
http://bit.ly/DrinkingInAmerica
http://www.thebarbecuemaster.net/hisbiscus.html
What if you don't intend on making the product? What if you simply want to sell the idea of the product along with the name? Does anyone know anything about this? How do Ad Agencies protect product names and ideas they come up with?
"Intent to use" means you have not yet used it but intend to.
Based on your comment, you need to file it under "intent to use".
Ad Agencies use copyrights to protect the recipe and trademarks or servicemarks to protect the brand as well as copyrights to protect the verbage, if there is any... say a poem on the back of a beer bottle or something like that.
Hope this helps :)
Also, look here...
http://www.uspto.gov/faq/trademarks.jsp
I was curious as to how Ad agencies protected their work and wasn't sure if they filed under the 'intent to use' as the language implies only those actually intending on using the mark not reselling it. I thought maybe there was another way Ad Agencies protect their work.
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'Intent to use' defined
" If you have not yet used your mark, but intend to use it in the future, you must file under the "intent to use" basis. This means you have a bona fide intent to use the mark in commerce; that is, you have more than just an idea but are less than market ready (for example, having a business plan, creating samples products, or performing other initial business activities). An "intent to use" basis requires filing an additional form and fee prior to registration that are not required if you file under "use in commerce" at the outset"
mind you they deep fry Pizza so....
Pisco Sour (Peruvian delight)
Trader Vic's Mai Tai
Margarita
you can cook with it too -- Julia Child would approve.
Sorry, couldn't resist :D