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.
'Bloody Mary a La Milo' in the 1951 Ted Saucier cocktail book titled 'Bottoms Up' (page 45), appears to be the first published cocktail recipe that includes vodka, tomato juice, clam juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Ted Saucier Credits the recipe to Milo J. Sutliff, Publisher, New York. This pre-dates the version at the Polonaise nightclub in Manhattan by at least 2-3 years.
The original cocktail of vodka with seasoned tomato and clam juice made its debut at the Polonaise nightclub in Manhattan in November 1953. The drink was introduced as the "Smirnoff Smiler" by owner Paul Pawlowski. In December 1953, columnist Walter Winchell reported that the drink was seasoned with "a dash of Wooooshhhtasheer Sauce".
In 1959, cartoonist and creator of The Addams Family , Charles Addams (employed by the New Yorker magazine, a few blocks from the Polonaise nightclub in Manhattan) claimed he invented the "Gravel Gertie", a cocktail of clam/tomato juice and vodka seasoned with Tabasco sauce.
In 1962, Carl La Marca, bar manager at the Baker Hotel in Dallas, invented the "Imperial Clam Digger", adding a basil garnish and dash of lime to an existing version of the "Smirnoff Smiler", called the "Clam Digger".
In October 1968, Seagram president Victor Fischel and Mott's Clamato marketer Ray Anrig claimed to have invented the seasoned tomato/clam/vodka cocktail, the "Clamdigger" earlier in 1968, in Manhattan. Seagram, headquartered 2 blocks from the Polonaise nightclub, filed a trademark application on the name "Clamdigger" claiming first use on May 31, 1968. From late 1968 to the end of 1969, Seagram and Mott's ran a major advertising promotion of the "Clam Digger" cocktail recipe in national magazines.
The Caesar was invented in 1969 by restaurant manager Walter Chell of the Calgary Inn (today the Westin Hotel) in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He devised the cocktail after being tasked to create a signature drink for the Calgary Inn's new Italian restaurant. He mixed vodka with clam and tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, and other spices, creating a drink similar to a Bloody Mary but with a uniquely spicy flavour.
Chell said his inspiration came from Italy. He recalled that in Venice, they served Spaghetti alle vongole, spaghetti with tomato sauce and clams. He reasoned that the mixture of clams and tomato sauce would make a good drink, and mashed clams to form a "nectar" that he mixed with other ingredients.
According to Chell's granddaughter, his Italian ancestry led him to call the drink a "Caesar". The longer name of "Bloody Caesar" is said to differentiate the drink from the Bloody Mary, but Chell said it was a regular patron at the bar who served as the inspiration. During the three months he spent working to perfect the drink, he had customers sample it and offer feedback. One regular customer, an Englishman, who often ordered the drink said one day "Walter, that's a damn good bloody Caesar".
First appearance in Café Royal Cocktail Book published in 1937 by William J. Tarling
The Carajillo is a traditional Spanish drink combining coffee with a spirit — the name likely derives from 'coraje' (courage), echoing the colonial-era tradition of soldiers fortifying their coffee with rum. In Spain it is classically made with brandy or rum. The Licor 43 version exploded in Mexico around 2015, largely through brand promotion, and is now one of the most ordered cocktails in Mexican bars and restaurants.