Although origin stories vary, a number of cocktail historians claim that the first Martini was served in the ornate barroom of the Knickerbocker Hotel in 1912. And that bartender’s name? Martini di Arma di Taggia, naturally. Today, the Knick serves as a towering oasis nestled in the eye of the neon hurricane that is Times Square. Four floors up you’ll find Charlie Palmer, the Knick’s modern cocktail lounge where you can experience the Knickerbocker Martini firsthand: a refreshing elixir of gin, dry and rouge vermouth, orange and citrus bitters.
Many things were invented in NYC: In 1914, we invented the Reuben sandwich, forever changing your Jewish deli experience; in the early 1970s, we gave the world New York hip-hop, which, more than forty years later, gave musical misanthropes a reason to throw down for Hamilton tickets; and NYC is also home to a slew of the world's most famous cocktails. From the Martini to the Manhattan, the Penicillin to picklebacks, you can trace their origin stories right back here to the Big Apple. Read on to find out where in New York these famous classic cocktails were invented, who invented them, and most importantly, where you can drink them today.
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