20 Cocktails with Surprisingly Dark Stories

The name of this drink is often associated—rightly or wrongly—with Mary I of England, whose reign in the 1550s was marked by brutal persecution and the burning at the stake of Protestant dissidents. The cocktail itself is a creation of 20th-century bars, but its deep red color makes its historical nickname hard to ignore.

Donn Beach introduced the Zombie to 1930s Hollywood as a tiki cocktail made with several rums—so strong that it was reportedly rationed because customers kept ordering it until they got into trouble. When it made its debut on the big stage, such as at the 1939 World’s Fair, its name seemed amusing, but it was generally synonymous with a night of bad decisions and excess.

In 1874, a prank by Tom Collins sent New Yorkers rushing to the bars because someone claimed that a stranger was making disparaging remarks about them on the other side of town. Bartenders turned this joke into a drink order, and a nice, cold gin highball became a reminder that social embarrassment has always been good for business.

A popular story traces the origins of the Sidecar to World War I in France, where an American captain is said to have pulled up to a bar on a motorcycle with a sidecar. The drink we know today is smooth and refined, even though its history began during a time marked by rationing, injury, and death.

The Vesper comes from the movie Casino Royale, named after Vesper Lynd, a character whose story ends in coercion and death. That said, it’s still incredibly fun to order a drink that 007 himself named.

Hemingway’s “Death in the Afternoon” is a cocktail made with absinthe and champagne that takes its name from a book on bullfighting published in 1932. The title pairs an elegant drink with a sport rooted in men’s fascination with risking injury and death.

The Suffering Bastard is generally associated with Cairo during World War II. It was created by a bartender as a hangover cure, specifically for the troops fighting in North Africa at the time.

"Corpse Reviver" was the name given in the early 20th century to a category of energy drinks designed to wake you up after a night of heavy drinking. The name itself suggests that you’ve probably made some choices you’d be better off not repeating.

The Widow’s Kiss, made with apple brandy and herbal liqueurs, has a warm, sweet flavor, while its name evokes something darker. It brings to mind old folk legends about poisoned apples, suspicious remarriages, and domestic dangers—topics rarely discussed during holiday gatherings.

The Rusty Nail, typically made with Scotch and Drambuie, became the drink of choice in the mid-20th century among circles that viewed drinking as a performance and a test of endurance. There are also darker stories surrounding the expression itself, with some old legends suggesting that the drink was originally mixed with a rusty nail.

The Grasshopper’s creamy, minty sweetness is often described as a way to make alcohol easier to drink during Prohibition. When the law made social drinking risky, a dessert-like cocktail helped mask the liquor and make it a delight to drink.

The Singapore Sling is associated with colonial Singapore in the early 1900s, a time when who could drink and how was governed by strict social rules. The drink’s refined presentation made it acceptable to serve to women at a time when drinking alcohol in public was frowned upon.

Trader Vic’s Mai Tai first appeared in 1944, at a time when many of us desperately wanted to believe that peace and happiness were within reach. Tiki bars sold the dream of a vacation while the pain of the war was still fresh in the minds of many families.

The Pisco Sour is delicious, but it is also at the heart of a long-standing dispute between Peru and Chile, which are vying for credit for the drink’s origin. In the 1920s and beyond, national pride and memories of the war helped fuel the controversy, but today, this drink is enjoyed all over the world.

"Between the Sheets" is a variation on the Sidecar dating back to the Prohibition era, and its provocative name is all the more daring. In an era when vice squads and hotel rooms served as hideouts, a suggestive name could give you a clear idea of exactly what kind of evening awaited you.

The Monkey Gland takes its name from a craze in the 1920s, when surgeon Serge Voronoff touted the benefits of monkey gland transplants as a shortcut to youth and virility. This procedure was cruel to animals and exploited people’s fear of aging—a dark history for a drink whose name tends to bring a smile to people’s faces.

The Bitter Tears is one of the newest cocktails on this list, created as an “anti-Valentine’s Day” drink for Valentine’s Day. It typically consists of rum or whiskey, Cynar, and bitters, hence its tart name.

The Naked and Famous is a modern cocktail made with mezcal and yellow Chartreuse, whose name refers to scandalous language. The drink’s creator, Joaquin Simo, drew inspiration from a line in the song “Tricky Kid” by British artist Tricky.

"Widowmaker" is a nickname used to refer to high-proof bourbon-based concoctions, particularly in stories about old Kentucky feuds and grudges from the bootlegging era. These stories are marked by severe violence, and the name is often used as a warning when the story is retold.

The Last Word is associated with Detroit in the 1910s, a time when nightlife was thriving and pressure for temperance was rapidly mounting. Its name suggests a final act of defiance before Prohibition made it illegal to frequent bars, and it is partly thanks to this rebellious aspect that it continues to be rediscovered.