National Cocktail Day is a holiday that’s observed annually on March 24th. As its name suggests, it’s a day dedicated to cocktails and all that they deliver. By definition, a cocktail is a mixed alcoholic drink that’s made with one spirit or a combination of spirits that are mixed with different types of ingredients such as fruit juice, flavored syrup, cream, or tonic water.

Some of the more popular cocktails of all time include the Moscow Mule, the Whiskey Sour, and the Old Fashioned. Any one of these cocktails is perfect for this holiday, as are the many thousands of other cocktails that people can discover.

The History Of National Cocktail Day

To be honest, we don’t know a lot about this holiday. We do know that it was invented by Jace Shoemaker-Galloway — an author, mom, and freelance editor. What we don’t know is why she invented this holiday. We do know she invented it in 2013, but we don’t know the context surrounding that decision to make a holiday around the cocktail.

Some Important Facts About Cocktails

National Cocktail Day can seem like a daunting holiday to observe. Just think about it. There are about a million cocktails how can a person choose? We don’t know, so we’re just going to distract everyone with some interesting facts about cocktails. Maybe the following points will allow someone to find the inspiration they need to choose a drink for this holiday.

• The word cocktail comes from the mispronunciation of the French word for Eggcup Coquetier.
• Cocktails are supposed to have been invented in 19th century America, but the ancient Romans often made drinks using a variety of different spirits, juices, and spices. That sounds like a cocktail to us.
• There is such a thing as a bartender Olympics.
• In 2004, Sean’s Bar in Athlone, Ireland was given the title of Ireland’s oldest pub. It was established around 900 C.E.
• Ernest Hemingway invented a cocktail called Death in the Afternoon. It contained Absinthe and Champagne.
• The Old Fashioned was invented in 1880 by James E. Pepper.
• Sophie Berezinski invented the Moscow Mule as a way to sell more copper mugs for her father’s Russian copper factory.
• The Whiskey Sour was invented in 18th-century England by Vice Admiral Edward Vernon.
• Who invented the Margarita? No one really knows for sure.

Observing National Cocktail Day

This holiday can be observed simply by mixing up a favorite cocktail or trying out a cocktail that you may not have tried before. Anyone who does a search on the Internet will find about a thousand different cocktail recipes. So many, in fact, that it would be difficult for the average person to try every single one of them.

That’s why recommend restricting your search according to the spirits you like, or the types of flavors you enjoy. For example, if someone enjoys something salty, then they might try a Salty Dog (made with grapefruit, gin, or vodka in a highball glass with a salted rim). After you make a drink, you can then take a picture of it and post it on social media using the hashtag #NationalCocktailDay.