Cocktails named after U.S. states run from Alabama to Missouri. Some tie directly to state history. Others share a name with a place by pure chance.
Bourbon Country
The Alabama Slammer mixes sloe gin, whiskey, amaretto and orange juice, finished with a Maraschino cherry and a citrus wheel. Kentucky claims four drinks made with bourbon. The Kentucky Mule uses bourbon instead of vodka in a Moscow Mule. The Kentucky Buck adds strawberries, syrup, lemon juice, ginger beer and Angostura bitters. The Kentucky Colonel, from Jacques Straub’s 1913 “Straub’s Manual of Mixed Drinks,” is four parts bourbon to one part Bénédictine. The Kentucky River takes the Old Fashioned and uses chocolate liqueur and peach bitters in place of the usual mix.
Louisiana and Mississippi
Louisiana’s À La Louisiane brings together absinthe, Bénédictine, Peychaud’s bitters, sweet vermouth and rye in a Nick & Nora glass. Mississippi’s Bourbon Punch pairs muscadine wine and bourbon with fruit juices, then finishes with citrus soda and club soda on top. Both drinks rely on Southern staples, but each takes a very different path to the glass.
Frogs, Statehood, and a President
Connecticut’s Bullfrog joins gin, rum, lemon juice and syrup. Arizona’s Statehood cocktail was made by bartender Mike O’Leary in 1910, two years before Arizona became a state. The original called for whiskey, Dubonnet, Angostura bitters, syrup and ginger soda. A newer version uses Lillet Rouge, ginger syrup and tonic water.
Missouri’s Mule was made for President Harry Truman.
Bartender Joe Gilmore made it in 1947 at the Savoy Hotel American Bar in London, where Truman often stopped while visiting. Truman, a Missouri native, favored bourbon, so bourbon became the base of his Mule.
A Gold Rush Story
Alaska’s cocktail comes from Jacques Straub’s 1913 manual, mixing gin, yellow Chartreuse and orange bitters. The drink’s name is thought to be a nod to the state’s 1896 Gold Rush, on account of its bright color.
“a nod to the state’s 1896 Gold Rush”
Dive Bars and Rum Drinks
Colorado’s Bulldog is a White Russian mixed with Coca-Cola, thought to have started near college bars close to Colorado State University. Hawaii’s Blue Hawaii brings together rum, blue Curaçao, vodka, pineapple and lime juice. One drink belongs to the bar back room, the other to fruit and rum.
California and Maine
California’s Alta California, made by bartender Alex Day at Death & Co. in 2009, mixes tequila, blanc vermouth, yellow Chartreuse and cinnamon syrup. Maine’s Remember the Maine, drawn from the 1939 book “The Gentleman’s Companion,” honors a U.S. ship that went down. It’s made by rinsing a glass with absinthe, then adding rye, sweet vermouth and cherry liqueur.
A Coincidence in New York
The New York Sour, despite its name, actually started in Chicago. It is one of a few drinks on this list that share a state’s name by pure coincidence rather than genuine tie.
| Cocktail | Year | Origin Note |
|---|---|---|
| The Alaska | 1913 | Jacques Straub’s manual; name linked to the 1896 Gold Rush |
| Kentucky Colonel | 1913 | Straub’s manual |
| Arizona Statehood | 1910 | Made by Mike O’Leary |
| Missouri Mule | 1947 | Made by Joe Gilmore for Harry Truman |
| Remember the Maine | 1939 | From “The Gentleman’s Companion” |
| Alta California | 2009 | Made by Alex Day at Death & Co. |
| New York Sour | — | Shares New York’s name by pure coincidence; started in Chicago |
From bourbon country to a London bar, these drinks carry state names for reasons both real and purely accidental. Some, like the Alaska and Remember the Maine, were named on purpose. Others, like the New York Sour, just happened to land there.
Source: vinepair.com