Floradora Cocktail

To understand the history of this cocktail, one must look to the theater. If you thought that only modern movies have inspired drinks in the bar, then you would be surprised to find out that it's not a new practice.

Prior to Prohibition and at the turn of the 20th century, stage productions on Broadway were the highlight of fashionable society. As Eric Felton notes in his book "How's Your Drink?," a New York Times article in 1913 quotes a maître d' as saying the women "insist on having new cocktails made, and they have to be named after something that interests them."

"Florodora" was a comedy musical that made its debut at the Lyric Theatre in London in 1899. It is filled with dancing and a cast of six very beautiful women. It made its American debut at the New York City's Casino Theater in 1900 and ran for an impressive 505 performances.

The musical quickly became the talk of the town and had its share of critics. It was only natural, given the resounding success of "Florodora" and the desire for new theater-themed cocktails, that the Floradora cocktail was born. It had that seductive sweetness and high style that would appeal to the theater crowd, and the pink color fit perfectly with the theme.

The cocktail continued to appear in many bartending books through most of the century and has seen a revival in this new century. The Floradora truly is a stunning drink, and the story only makes it that much more interesting.