First appearance in The Bartender’s Guide: How to Mix Drinks; A Bon Vivant’s Companion published in 1876 by Jerry Thomas
The Cypriot brandy sour style was developed following the introduction of the first blended brandy made on Cyprus, by the Haggipavlu family, in the early 1930s. The cocktail was developed at the Forest Park Hotel, in the hill-resort of Plátres, for the young King Farouk of Egypt, who often stayed at the hotel during his frequent visits to the island. The brandy sour was introduced as an alcoholic substitute for iced tea, as a way of disguising the Muslim monarch's preference for Western-style cocktails. The drink subsequently spread to other bars and hotels in the fashionable Platres area, before making its way to the coastal resorts of Limassol, Paphos and Kyrenia, and the capital Nicosia.
Two sources credit Joseph S. Sormani as the person responsible for the drink.
The Bronx Cocktail, strange to say, was invented in Philadelphia, of all places! There it might have remained in obscurity had it not been for one Joseph Sormani, a Bronx restaurateur, who discovered it in the Quaker City in 1905. The original recipe has been greatly distorted in the course of years, but here is the original to guide you and to compare with the other recipes being used: Four parts of gin, one part of orange juice and one part of Italian Vermouth. Shake thoroughly in ice and serve.
Sormani was credited with creating the drink in his New York Times obituary:
Joseph S. Sormani, retired Bronx restaurateur, who was said to have originated the Bronx cocktail, died Wednesday night in his home, 2322 Fish Avenue, the Bronx, after a brief illness. His age was 83.
First appearance in The World's Drinks and How to Mix Them published in 1908 by William "Cocktail" Boothby
The Bushwacker was invented at the Ship's Store/Sapphire Pub in Sapphire Village, St Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands in the spring of 1975 by bartender Angie Conigliaro (cousin to Tony of the Boston Red Sox) and Tom Brokamp the restaurant's manager. It was promptly named after a visiting guest's dog, Bushwack, an Afghan Hound. The dog's owners were flight attendants and rarely traveled with their 4-legged companion. After spreading quickly throughout the Virgin Islands, the invention was soon brought back stateside by bartenders from Florida after visiting the islands. Many bars throughout Florida experimented with the recipe creating their own versions and doing much to popularize it in the states.
Bushwacker was first bottled and mass produced by Bushwacker Spirits of Sarasota Florida in 2020.
Since 1986 there has been an annual Bushwacker Festival held at Quietwater Beach on Pensacola Beach, FL to celebrate the drink and its celebrity status.