National Cocktail Day is a holiday that’s observed annually on March 24th. As its name suggests, it’s a day dedicated to celebrating cocktails and all that they offer. By definition, a cocktail is a mixed alcoholic drink that’s made with one or more spirits combined with different types of ingredients such as fruit juice, flavored syrup, cream, or tonic water.

Some of the most popular cocktails of all time include the Moscow Mule, the Whiskey Sour, and the Old Fashioned. Any one of these cocktails is perfect for this holiday, as are the many thousands of other cocktails that people can enjoy.

The History Of National Cocktail Day

To be honest, we don’t know much about the origins of this holiday. We do know that it was created by Jace Shoemaker-Galloway — an author, mother, and freelance editor. What we don’t know is why she created this holiday. We do know she established it in 2013, but we don’t know the context surrounding her decision to create a holiday centered around the cocktail.

Some Important Facts About Cocktails

National Cocktail Day can seem like a daunting holiday to celebrate. Just think about it: there are about a million cocktails—how can a person choose? We don’t know, so we’re just going to distract everyone with some interesting facts about cocktails. Maybe the following points will help someone find the inspiration they need to choose a drink for this holiday.

• The word “cocktail” comes from the mispronunciation of the French word for eggcup, “coquetier.”
• Cocktails are believed to have been invented in 19th-century America, but the ancient Romans often made drinks using a variety of different spirits, juices, and spices. That sounds like a cocktail to us.
• There is such a thing as a bartender Olympics.
• In 2004, Sean’s Bar in Athlone, Ireland, was given the title of Ireland’s oldest pub. It was established around 900 C.E.
• Ernest Hemingway invented a cocktail called Death in the Afternoon. It contained Absinthe and Champagne.
• The Old Fashioned was invented in 1880 by James E. Pepper.
• Sophie Berezinski invented the Moscow Mule as a way to sell more copper mugs for her father’s Russian copper factory.
• The Whiskey Sour was invented in 18th-century England by Vice Admiral Edward Vernon.
• Who invented the Margarita? No one really knows for sure.

Observing National Cocktail Day

This holiday can be observed simply by mixing up a favorite cocktail or trying out a new cocktail that you may not have tried before. Anyone who does a search on the Internet will find about a thousand different cocktail recipes. So many, in fact, that it would be difficult for the average person to try every single one of them.

That’s why we recommend narrowing your search according to the spirits you like or the types of flavors you enjoy. For example, if someone enjoys something salty, then they might try a Salty Dog (made with grapefruit juice, gin, or vodka in a highball glass with a salted rim). After you make a drink, you can then take a picture of it and post it on social media using the hashtag #NationalCocktailDay.