Why do so many classic cocktails start with M?

[Shalmanese]

You have the cornerstone Martini & Manhattan. The classic summertime trio of the Mojito, Mint Julep & Margarita, not forgetting the Mai Tai.

It seems like an abnormally large amount of great cocktails start with M. Is there any other letter that can rival it?

[Alchemist]

So you take a sip of a cocktail...you close your eyes and go MMMMMMMMMmmmmmmm.

And the rest is history.

Toby

[slkinsey]

Bacardi Cocktail

Bamboo

Barbara West

Barnum (Was Right)

Bebbo

Bellini

Between the Sheets

Blackthorne

Blood and Sand

Bloody Mary

Blue Blazer

Blue Moon

Bobby Burns

Brandy Crusta

Bronx

Brooklyn

[Peter the eater]

I'm wondering, as I flip through my very sad and old Mr. Boston, which is the least popular letter? Looks like there are many cues but only two exes -- Xerxes Cocktail and X.Y.Z.

[thirtyoneknots]

Bacardi Cocktail

Bamboo

Barbara West

Barnum (Was Right)

Bebbo

Bellini

Between the Sheets

Blackthorne

Blood and Sand

Bloody Mary

Blue Blazer

Blue Moon

Bobby Burns

Brandy Crusta

Bronx

Brooklyn

←

This list calls into question the meaning of the qualifier 'classic': Does it mean Old Drinks That Are Worth Drinking, or does it mean Indespensable Drinks (seems to be Shalmanese's working definition)? The list above is full of the former (though I might give several of them a pass) and short on the latter.

Personally I think Toby might be on to something Or it's naught but a coincidence, which I take to be Mr. Kinsey's point.

Edited July 25, 2009 by thirtyoneknots (log)

[Shalmanese]

Bacardi Cocktail

Bamboo

Barbara West

Barnum (Was Right)

Bebbo

Bellini

Between the Sheets

Blackthorne

Blood and Sand

Bloody Mary

Blue Blazer

Blue Moon

Bobby Burns

Brandy Crusta

Bronx

Brooklyn

←

Of these, I would say only the Bellini, Blood & Sand & Bloody Mary count as classic cocktails. Of course, if we want to go with stuff that's far more obscure, there are many more M cocktails.

[slkinsey]

Bacardi Cocktail

Bamboo

Barbara West

Barnum (Was Right)

Bebbo

Bellini

Between the Sheets

Blackthorne

Blood and Sand

Bloody Mary

Blue Blazer

Blue Moon

Bobby Burns

Brandy Crusta

Bronx

Brooklyn

Of these, I would say only the Bellini, Blood & Sand & Bloody Mary count as classic cocktails. Of course, if we want to go with stuff that's far more obscure, there are many more M cocktails.

Depending on how restrictive you are with your definition of "classic" there are only around a dozen of them -- in which case, of course "M" wins by virtue of having Manhattan, Margarita and Martini. At any level that would include the Mai Tai -- which, with all due respect to Tiki fans, does not rise to the same "level of classic" as the Martini, Manhattan and Margarita -- I think most of the drinks above qualify. Certainly the Bronx and Brooklyn would, and probably Between the Sheets as well.

[eje]

[...] At any level that would include the Mai Tai -- which, with all due respect to Tiki fans, does not rise to the same "level of classic" as the Martini, Manhattan and Margarita -- I think most of the drinks above qualify.  Certainly the Bronx and Brooklyn would, and probably Between the Sheets as well.

←

Dude, are you on crack?

The Mai Tai doesn't rise to the same "level of classic" as the Between the Sheets (equal parts brandy, cointreau, and rum with a dash of lemon=diabetic coma!), Bronx (fine when you get that one good sour orange, once a year), Bellini (not even a cocktail!), and Blue Blazer (more a gimmick than a proper drink!)?

[The Drinkist]

I'd argue that M has the additional virtue of being nearly impossible to slur after three or four said cocktails. All those soft sounds like S, SH, F, etc. are bound to lose out.

Also have to agree that a good Mai Tai deserves its place in the Pantheon of Classics.

[slkinsey]

[...] At any level that would include the Mai Tai -- which, with all due respect to Tiki fans, does not rise to the same "level of classic" as the Martini, Manhattan and Margarita -- I think most of the drinks above qualify.  Certainly the Bronx and Brooklyn would, and probably Between the Sheets as well.

Dude, are you on crack?

The Mai Tai doesn't rise to the same "level of classic" as the Between the Sheets (equal parts brandy, cointreau, and rum with a dash of lemon=diabetic coma!), Bronx (fine when you get that one good sour orange, once a year), Bellini (not even a cocktail!), and Blue Blazer (more a gimmick than a proper drink!)?

I wasn't necessarily saying anything about whether they were any good. Besides, I didn't say that the Mai Tai didn't rise to the same level of classic as those drinks -- I said it didn't rise to the same level of classic as the Martini, Manhattan and Margarita.

FWIW, I think one could add the Monkey Gland in the "M" column.

[daisy17]

Martinez