50. Carajillo

Some trace the creation of the Carajillo – a mix of spirit or liqueur with coffee – to Catalunya in Spain, while others place its origins in Cuba during Spanish rule. One story attributes it to transport workers in early 19th-century Barcelona, who needed an efficient way of knocking back an espresso with a shot. Wherever it originated, the invention of Licor 43 in 1946 forever changed the Carajillo, with the liqueur becoming the standard companion to coffee in the drink. Today, the Carajillo is a staple in modern-day Latin America, and Mexico in particular, either served layered, known as puesto, or in more contemporary shakeado form.

49. Hanky Panky

When actor Sir Charles Hawtrey was first served this bracing combination of equal parts gin and sweet vermouth, with a few dashes of Fernet Branca, in the American Bar at The Savoy in London at some point in the early 20th century, he famously declared it to be “the real hanky panky”. He had, the story goes, pronounced himself “half dead” to Ada Coleman, who headed up the bar between 1903 and 1925, and this is what she created to revive him. You can, of course, still revive yourself with a Hanky Panky at the American Bar, where a vintage version is also offered, made with rare old bottles of all three ingredients.

48. Long Island Iced Tea

Best known for its usually unfounded reputation for booziness, the ongoing popularity of the Long Island Iced Tea seems to contradict contemporary moderation trends. When it comes to its invention, there are competing claims, foremost among them from Robert ‘Rosebud’ Butt, who says he came up with it for a cocktail comp in 1972. The drink’s construction – four white spirits in equal parts, triple sec and cola, as well as sugar and citrus – has proven well suited to variations. For maximum look-at-me effect, there’s the bright-blue Adios Motherfucker, likely emerging from Los Angeles in the 1980s, with blue curaçao replacing triple sec and lemonade replacing cola.

47. Southside

Often described as a Gin Mojito – particularly during the height of the latter’s modern-day popularity – the Southside has a colourful yet inconclusive history. Some attribute this combination of gin, lime, sugar and mint to Prohibition-era gangster Frankie McErlane, saying that he used it to cover the flavour of bootlegged spirits. Others trace its origins to New York rather than Chicago, either to Long Island’s South Side Sportsmen's Club or the former Manhattan speakeasy 21 Club. Most often served up, versions with soda – the Southside Fizz – have appeared with regularity over the years and have been popular in recent times too.

46. Ramos Gin Fizz

Despite its reputation for being notoriously labour-intensive to make, with serious amounts of shaking required, the Ramos Gin Fizz continues to appear on cocktail lists, with its distinctive tower of soufflé-like foam. This variant on the Gin Fizz, with additional cream and orange flower water, is said to have been created in 1888 by Carl Ramos at the Imperial Cabinet Saloon in New Orleans. Indeed, it was originally known as the New Orleans Fizz.