10 Famous Cocktails from Cities Around the World

It's the drink H.L. Mencken said was "the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet," and the tipple that gave James Bond his "shaken, not stirred" catchphrase. Yes, it's the martini. Origin stories hail from both coasts, with New York City and San Francisco both laying claim to the dignified blend of gin and vermouth. In New York, The Village Voice awarded the Angel's Share bar highest martini honors in its 2011 Best of Awards. In San Francisco the opinionated drinkers of Yelp raise a (martini) glass to Martuni's.

Sure, the daiquiri has been dragged in a number of boozy-smoothie directions in recent decades, but its invention has more authentic roots in the abundance of rum, lime, and cane sugar in Cuba. Likely a long-quaffed cocktail of locals, the daiquiri began making its way into the American bloodstream after an expat engineer working on the island ran out of gin and served a simple version of the combination for guests. By 1920 the frozen daiquiri had been adapted from the original by barmen at Floridita in Havana. There, the refreshing drink gained a following that included Ernest Hemingway and Greta Garbo. If you find yourself in Cuba, Floridita is still a good place to knock back a daiquiri or two—TripAdvisor users give the bar four out of five circles.

According to the lore, the Black Russian—a mix of vodka and Kahlua—found its first audience at the bar of Hotel Metropole in Brussels in 1949. Popularized near the start of the Cold War, the cocktail was named for the dark color Kahlua lends to the drink and the strong association between Russia and vodka. Over the years, variations have included topping the drink with cola or beer or mixing in cream to create the White Russian. This April, Brussels will host a competition of bartenders to crown the best new approach to the classic cocktail.

You know a cocktail has arrived when it has its own holiday and spurs rivalry between neighboring countries. That's the case with the beloved pisco sour—a blend of pisco brandy, citrus, sugar, and sometimes egg white and bitters—which, according to pisco sour historian Guillermo Toro-Lira, was first mixed at Morris' Bar in Lima, Peru. Chile also lays claim to the invention of the drink, though the recipes—and even the way the pisco brandy is produced—in the two countries differ enough to make these two unique drinks with a shared name. Even if South America isn't on your calendar this year, you can still celebrate the sour alongside Peruvians on the first Saturday of February, better known to aficionados as National Pisco Sour Day.

When it comes to the margarita, the best way to enjoy both the cocktail and the stories of its possible origins is the same: with (at least) a grain of salt. Ranking among the country's most popular mixed drinks, the tequila-lime-orange liqueur refresher was most likely invented in Acapulco or Ensenada, Mexico, possibly by a vacationing socialite or perhaps by a bartender. Regardless of its birthplace, the margarita is now a standard everywhere from beach resorts to dive bars. With so many options to choose from, we're turning this one over to you: Where did you sip your best-ever margarita?

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