How many facts about cocktails do you know? Do you know which liqueurs are sung to as they age? How many bubbles are in a bottle of champagne? What did the first cocktail shakers look like?

Our favourite facts about cocktails and bartending

1) Why Do We “toast?”

Toast in wine glass

Let’s go back in time. The Ancient Romans used to drop a piece of toast into their wine for good health. They would put the toast in their fellow drinkers’ wines too and that’s where the phrase, “to toast”, comes from!

2) Sing For Your Spirits

Having a sing in the shower starts your day off in the right way, but what do you think about singing to your drinks (okay, it happens sometimes when you’ve had a few too many…). Well, Hudson Bourbon play dubstep to their barrels, and Mozart Dark Chocolate Liqueur play Mozart to their casks!

3) The Three Sip Rule

Did you know that in Texas, USA, there is a state law that prohibits you from having more than three sips of beer whilst standing?! Okay, I guess we’ll just have to sit down and enjoy our drinks then…

4) Shake Up A Penguin

Penguin shaker

Zero animal cruelty here, we’re talking about shaking a cocktail in a penguin-shaped tin. The first cocktail shakers were actually shaped like penguins! One of the weirder facts about cocktails!

5) Margarita Mad

How many Margaritas could you drink in an hour? We’d say two or three max, but did you know that 185,000 Margaritas are drunk every single hour in the USA, making it the most popular cocktail in the States!

Shake your way around the world with a bartending certificate in your hand!

6) Saint Bellini

Ever wondered where the name Bellini came from? The creator of the drink, Giuseppe Cipriani, thought that the pink drink looked like a saint’s toga that was seen in a painting by Giovanni Bellini, hence, he named the cocktail after the artist. Whether you think it looks like a toga or not, we’ll take two!

7) The Man Behind Tiki

Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt is commonly recognised as the founding father of tiki bars and cocktails including the Zombie. In 1933, he opened up a small bar in Hollywood called Don the Beachcomber’s. The bar was influenced and decorated with objects Ernest had found on his travels throughout the South Pacific. The bar became an instant hit, not only with the locals but also with celebrities like Charlie Chaplin! Ernest eventually decided to legally change his name to “Donn Beach” which demonstrated his love for his bar and everything tiki.

8) This Is Not Refreshing!

Want to advertise your new cocktail or spirit? Well, you won’t be calling it refreshing! This word is banned when talking about anything alcoholic.

9) Pineapples In Puerto Rico

Did you know Puerto Rico’s national drink? If you like getting caught in the rain, you’ll love this one! It’s the Pina Colada!

10) Stories Of Squares

Ever wondered why Jack Daniels is in a square bottle? There’s actually a really practical idea behind it. As well as being original and standing out from other bourbon bottles, the square bottles don’t roll about and smash when being transported, and they’ve been that way since 1895.

11) These Cocktail Facts Are Popping

There are an estimated 49,000,000 bubbles in every bottle of champagne! Each bottle has three times more pressure than a car tire, so watch your eyes when you’re popping those bottles!

Now you know the 11 best and most interesting facts about cocktails. Use them to impress your friends or win a quiz one day!