cocktails

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"Laika is a 1930's European style of bar so our cocktail list reflects that, offering cocktails from throughout history and from all around the world. We have lots of forgotten classics and more famous ones to offer you. Laika has tried where possible to serve the drinks how they were served in history with the original spirits using original methods. " NOTE: Please inform your waiter/bartender of any allergies as we don't always list all of our ingredients.

Vintage Classics

SIDECAR 18

Brandy, Cointreau & lemon juice
This drink was created in Paris during WWI, although sadly, the bartender's name was never recorded. A military officer, who was driven around in a motorcycle sidecar, requested a warming aperitif containing brandy. Seen as somewhat of a contradiction at the time, as brandy was only considered an after dinner drink, the bartender had to come up with something new. And so the Sidecar was born....

BRONX 16

Gin, Sweet Vermouth, Dry Vermouth & orange juice
The Bronx Cocktail was possibly created in of all places, Philadelphia around 1905. In an obituary appearing in The New York Times, Philadelphian restauranter, Joseph Sormani lays claim to the drink. However, tee-totalling bartender, Johnnie Solon at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel also lays claim to the drinks creation. Made as a variation of a Duplex, Solon was said to have named his drink after a recent visit to the Bronx Zoo.

MARTINEZ 20

Sweet Vermouth, Gin, maraschino & bitters
The Martinez is most certainly the father of what we know famously now as, the Martini. Created during the 1880's, it was also printed under various other names including Martini, The Martine, The Turf Club and of course, The Martinez.

MARGARITA 18

Tequila, Cointreau & lime juice
This drinks origin will never truly become clear. One thing for certain is that it was created in the mid 1930's and is one of the great classics. The earliest story of the Margarita comes from the restaurant in Matamoros called Dos Republicas. A lady called Marguerite Hemery used to live in the Rio Grande Valley. She was friends with the owner at this restaurant and as the story goes, the bartender (Willie) composed a special drink for her. She tasted it and said; "That's really wonderful! What's it called?" The bartender asked her what her name was and she said, "Marguerite." He then said, "This drink then will be called 'Marguerita'." Another version of this cocktails origin is according to Salvador Negrete, the son of Daniel Negrete, the family story goes that Daniel opened a bar at the Garci Crisp Hotel with his brother, David. The day before David's marriage, Daniel presented the Margarita as a wedding present to Margarita, his soon to be sister-in-law.

PHILADELPHIA FISH-HOUSE PUNCH (serves 4) 40

Rum, Cognac, Peach Brandy, lemon juice & water
The original recipe for Fish House Punch comes from the Colony in Schuylkill Club in Philadelphia, which changed its name to the State in Schuylkill after the American civil war, It dates to 1732. Fish houses were busy places during lunch time and a lot of them would serve punch for the patrons while they waited to be seated and served. This club claims to be the oldest existing social organisation amongst English speaking people. The organisation was a combination of fisherman and humorists, a lot of the members were the founders of the city of Philadelphia. The club house which was moved three times within its history was referred to as the castle by its officers who all received government titles. Fish House Punch is said to have kicked off every club's meeting and to have inspired several blank pages in George Washington's diary.

MAI TAI 18

Aged Rum, Orange Curacao, lime juice & orgeat
The legendary Victor J. Bergeron, or 'Trader Vic' created this drink for two Tahitian friends drinking at his bar. Their response upon tasting Vic's drink they were said to exclaim "Mai Tai Roa Ae" meaning, out of this world. The original recipe called on Wray & Nephew 17yo, however supplies began to dry up an even 'Trader Vic' had to come up with a rum substitute. If you've got the money you could travel to Ireland where a bar serves the original recipe Mai Tai containing Wray & Nephew 17yo for $1480 Australian dollars.

BROOKLYN 18

Rye Whiskey, Dry Vermouth, Amer Picon & Maraschino Liqueur
The Brooklyn, a variation on The Manhattan, is a rye-based drink that uses dry rather than sweet vermouth and adds a few extra ingredients to make things interesting. “It first popped up in the 1910s, probably as a response to the Manhattan,” says cocktail historian David Wondrich. As for the drink, it’s like a Manhattan, just a bit rougher and more complex. Sort of like Brooklyn itself. Amer Picon, one of the ingredients is fairly hard to come by and though we proudly serve our Brooklyn with Amer Picon, it's not the original and is made today at a lower strength of alcohol. This famous French orange bitter liqueur is a staple in its home country, where it is mixed traditionally with pilsner or wheat beer to create a potent brew known simply as Picon Biere. Created in 1830, Amer Picon also contains essences of gentian and quinine. It is particularly delicious (and dangerous) with Shofferhofer. The ratio generally used is one shot of Picon to every one beer.

WHITE LADY 16

Gin, Cointreau, lemon juice and egg white
It is disputed who originally invented this cocktail, there are at least two different opinions. Firstly that this cocktail was invented in 1919 at the Ciro's Club in London. The Savoy's Harry Craddock also claims the White Lady with his recipe in the Savoy Cocktail book published in the 1930's.

WHISKEY SOUR 18

Whiskey, lemon juice, egg white & sugar
This drink first appeared in print alongside many of the true classics in Jerry Thomas' 1862 book, 'A bartenders guide'. Largely ostricised over time because of the use of pre-bottled sour mix the Whiskey Sour we made only uses freshly squeezed sours. We can also offer you your Whiskey Sour with your preferred choice of whiskey from our selection.

CAIPIRINHA/CAPIROSKA/CAPIRISSMA 18

Cachaca, Vodka or Rum, lime & sugar
The Caipirinha is Brazil’s national cocktail. A Caipirinha is made with Brazil's national spirit, cachaca, this is a type of rum but is distilled from fermented sugar cane juice. Over 200 million litres of this spirit is consumed annually in Brazil. There are two stories about the origin of this drink. One is that the people working the sugarcane fields used to produce this drink, another says that slave traders from Portugal returning to Europe which would have access to cachaca and limes (to prevent the scurvy) and combine it with sugar for sweetness. A traditional Caipirinha is made with un-aged cachaca, another variation the Caprioska is made with vodka, and a Capirissma is made with white rum.

SAZERAC 20

Cognac/Rye Whiskey, Absinth & Bitters
Created by a French immigrant by the name of Amede (Antoine) Peychard, in New Orleans during the 1830's. Peychard operated a pharmacy in the French Quarter and dispensed his concoction as medicine, with Cognac and his house-made bitters. Some people also credit the drink to a bartender at the popular Sazerac Coffee House, either Leon Lamothe or Sewell Taylor. Both worked at the Sazerac during the period of time this cocktail became popular. Specifically the drink was to have to be made with nothing less than Sazerac de Forge et Fils Brandy, Peychard bitters and sugar. Due to the lack of Cognac in the drinks early history, and some people say the 'Americanizing' of the drink, the recipe was adapted to more readily available bourbon or rye whisky. We offer you your choice of the traditional Sazerac with Cognac or the New York Sazerac with Bourbon, or if you prefer, a blend of both.

HEMMINGWAY DAQUIRI 18

Havana Club, Maraschino Liqueur, lime & grapefruit juice
This is a variation of the classic daiquiri which is generally credited to Jennings Cox who was General Manager of the Spanish American Iron Co. This early version was built in a tall glass with lime sugar and two or three measures of rum and was served in the bar Venus situated in Santiago Cuba. It was said that he first served this when running out of gin and had to find a substitute. The original was JFK'S favourite aperitif. The Hemmingway version was created in honour of Ernest Hemmingway in 1921 by Contstanino Ribailagau of El Floridita bar in Havana Cuba and does not contain any added sugar due to his diabetes instead using maraschino liqueur to sweeten the drink. The fact that it has no added sugar means it's quite a sour finish but very refreshing. Ernest used to be called Papa doble because he always asked for doubles which leads to another cocktail, surprisingly called papa doble which is literally just a double version of the Ernest Hemmingway cocktail served in a large old fashioned glass. Ernest had rules when getting the perfect drink; it can't be artificially sweetened and must be cold and very strong.

AVIATION/ BLUE MOON 18

American gin, crème de violet and maraschino
The famous and classic Aviation cocktail has been in bartenders eye's for the past few years, making a come back after a long hibernation. The first printed mention of this drink was found in "recipes for mixed drinks" (1916 edition) by Hugo Enssling, a New York bartender at the Hotel Wallic in Times Square. It became one of the top cocktails during the 1930's and in the age when greats like Lindberg were the nation's heroes. It was said that this cocktail was made for an unknown aviation pilot from around the 1920's.

PISCO SOUR 16

The national origin of the Pisco sour is debated between Chile and Peru. Both countries celebrate National Pisco Sour day, Peru being the first Saturday of February and Chile being may the 15th. The roots of Pisco itself reach back to the 1500's, and stem from colonial rule. The Spaniards brought the grape from Europe, but the king of Spain then banned wine in the 17th century forcing locals to concoct a different kind of alcohol from the grape. CHILE - The birth of the Pisco sour is attributed to the English steward of a sailing ship named "sunshine". In 1872 Elliot Stubb obtained leave to disembark in the port of Lquique, which was a Peruvian City at the time, with the aim of settling in the city and opening a bar. In his bar he experimented with many aperitifs and drinks of which a fundamental ingredient was the ,limon de pica, a small lime grown in a populated oasis near by. In order to offer different varieties of alcoholic beverages, the Englishmen experimented with many different combinations, trying to pleasant drinks. One day he Stubb mixed Pisco with his most valued ingredient, lime and added sugar. Fascinated by the delicious results he made it the house specialty. In 1883 Lquique became a Chilean City. The Pisco sour was so popular it spread through social clubs and bars through out the city. PERU- Peru's thoughts on the drink are that it is a variation of the "whisky sour" invented in the early 1920's by American expatriate Victor v "gringo" Morris at the Morris bar in Lima Peru. The cocktail quickly became a favourite amongst locals. Soon many of the grand hotels in Lima at the time such as The Maury and The hotel Bolivar began serving Pisco Sours to there international guests which made the drink an international hit.

NEGRONI 20

Gin, Campari & Antica Formula
According to the most popular origin story the Negroni was invented in Florence, Italy in 1919 at Cafe Casoni, after renamed "Cafe Giacosa". Now owned by Roberto Cavalli the famous fashion designer. The Negroni was named after the Florentine aristocrat Camillo Negroni, the man who invented it. He asked the bartender (Fosco Scarselli) to make his Americano with adding gin. After the success of this cocktail in 1919. The Negroni family founded in Treviso Italy started a company called "Negroni Distilleries". This company created a product called "antico Negroni 1919" Campari the world’s top selling bitters was introduced in 1860 in Milan. Gaspore Campari developed and perfected this bold red drink using more than 60 natural ingredients with orange as its predominant flavour.

FRENCH SEVENTY FIVE 18

Champagne, Gin/Cognac & lemon juice
This classic champagne cocktail was originally concocted during World War I, the name comes from the famous French field gun which could deliver 15 rounds per minute to its target from five miles away. Conjecture reigns over weather or not the French 75 contains gin or Cognac, we offer it both ways with either Hennesey VS or Tanquarey.

OLD FASHIONED 20

Bourbon Whiskey , bitters, sugar, orange & cherries
Some claim the first use of the term "old fashioned" was for another bourbon whiskey style cocktail in the 1880's, at the Pendennis a gentleman's club in Louisville, Kentucky. The recipe is said to have been invented by a bartender at the club and popularised by a club member and bourbon distiller colonel James E Pepper, who took the drink to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel bar in New York city. James E. Pepper was the last in a long line of distillers. His grandfather was Elijah Pepper, born in Virginia and an early Kentucky settler. His father was Oscar Pepper, who had the good sense to employ a scot called Dr. James C. Crow as his master distiller, bringing fame to the Old Crow and Old Pepper brands, and fortune to the Pepper family. After Oscar's death in 1867, James ran the Versailles distillery for a few years before selling it to E. H. Taylor. James then moved to New York, but returned in 1879 to build a new distillery in Lexington. One of the unique features of the site was a seemingly inexhaustible spring. The distillery's pumps drew water from it at a rate of 700 gallons a minute and it never went dry. James put his name on the label of his bourbon and used the famous slogan "Born With The Republic" along with the trademark "Old 1776." James died in 1908.

BELLINI 16

White peach & sparkling (originally prosecco)
The Bellini was invented sometime between 1934 and 1948 by Giusippe Cipriani founder of Harry's bar Venice Italy, because of its unique pink colour, which reminded him of the colour of the toga of a saint in a painting by 15th century venetian artist Giovanni Bellini he named the drink Bellini. Harry's bar in Venice also claims to be the birth place of Carpaccio which was also he named after an Italian painter called Vittore Carpaccio who was famous for his love of deep red colours.

GOLDEN DAWN 18

Calvados, Apricot Brandy, Gin & fresh orange juice
This pre dinner cocktail won the International cocktail competition in London in 1930, nine years later Walter A. Madigon made a Golden Dawn without the calvados, and was runner up at the International Cocktail championship of the world in London 1939. This cocktail was named after the Hermetic order of the Golden Dawn (or more commonly known as the Golden Dawn) which was a magical order of the late 19th and early 20th centuries practicing a form of theurgy and spiritual development. It was possibly the greatest influence of that time hence the name Golden Dawn.

MOJITO 18

Rum, lime, mint & sugar
The Mojito is quite possibly world's first cocktail. Although the image of hardened sailors drinking rum mixed with mint, lime and sugar may not match your vision of straight-from-the-bottle gulping pirates, the Mojito has been enjoyed as early as the 16th century. One story traces the origins of the Mojito back to 16th century Cuba, where the drink was called the "El Draque" in honour of explorer and sailor Sir Francis Drake. Legend has it the drink was first created as a means of covering up the often harsh taste of tafia/aguardiente, a primitive form of rum. Sir Francis Drake used Cuba as a base island which could explain how the drink arrived there. The Draque cocktail can also be found in some other Latin American countries, including Mexico, Columbia, and Venezuela - likely a tribute to Drake's plundering of those countries. Other theories state that slaves working in the sugar cane fields could have had some role to play as they did in naming guarapo (sugar cane juice). The earliest "Mojito" recipes found are from 1931 and 1936 editions of a Sloppy Joe's Bar Manual. The drink improved greatly during the 19th century with the introduction of copper stills(the first being found in Barbados, Mount Gay Rum Distillery) that led to the modern and much better tasting form of rum. The contemporary name for the drink probably comes from a Cuban sauce called mojo, which is made from garlic, olive oil and citrus juice. Perhaps in reference to lime as a main ingredient, the drink became known as a cocktail with "a little mojo" or, in Spanish, a "Mojito."

BLOOD & SAND 16

Scotch, Sweet Vermouth, Cherry Herring & orange juice.
Named after the 1922 film in which actor Rudolph Valentino turned from peasant to bullfighter. This drink first made its first appearance in the Savoy Cocktail book in 1930.

VESPER 18

Vodka, Gin & Lillet
Made famous by James Bond in the 1953 novel and subsequent movie 'Casino Royale'. The drink was named after the novel's female lead, Vesper Lynd. Ian Fleming, the author of the Bond series is said to have come up with this drink with the help of bartenders at the Dukes Hotel in London.

COFFEE COCKTAIL/ESPRESSO MARTINI 18

Cognac, Ruby Port, egg & sugar / Vodka, Coffee Liqueur, Licor 43 & espresso
First came to print in the legendary 'Professor' Jerry Thomas' cocktail book. If you’re looking for a caffeine hit keep searching as you won’t find it here. The name coffee cocktail comes from the drinks appearance. If you are looking for that caffeine kick then you can order the espresso martini which has a shot of espresso in it. This drink was invented in the mid 1990's by London's cocktail guru Dick Bradsell in a bar called the Pharmacy in London's Notting Hill.

MINT JULEP 20

Woodford Reserve, mint & sugar.
First made print in London in 1803 though it was almost certainly being served in the southern states of America in the 18th century. It is also the drink of the Kentucky Derby since 1938 and over 100,000 of these Cocktails are served each year over a two day period. In 2006 they served $1000 mint juleps consisting of Woodford reserve, mint from Ireland, and ice from the Bavarian alps and sugar from Australia and served in a gold plated cup. Other views state that the mint julep is likely to be an offspring of Cuba's Mojito, due to evidence suggesting that the first mint julep was made from rum. In Stanley Arthur Clisby's 1937 book, Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em, he provides a recipe for a rum mint julep and calls it the original mint julep which is stated arrived in Louisiana in 1793 at the same time white aristocrats expelled from San Domingo Cuba settled in New Orleans. The term 'julep' is generally defined as a sweet drink, particularly one used as a vehicle for medicine.

MANHATTAN 18

Makers Mark, Vermouth & bitters
A popular story is that the Manhattan cocktail originated at the Manhattan Club in New York City in November 1874, Where it was invented for banquet hosted by Jennie Jerome (Lady Randolph Churchill, Winston's mother) in honour of presidential candidate Samuel J. Tilden. However, when looking deeper into history of this drink though, this banquet elevated this drinks' status in the New Yorks' drinking scene and helped it to become one of those legendary drinks. It was not its birth place nor was this banquet hosted by infamous drinker Winston Churchill’s mother as she was at Winston's christening in England. The true origin of this cocktail is that a bartender with the last name Black invented the Manhattan at a bar on Broadway in New York City sometime in the 1860s. This refers to the book "Valentine's Manual of New York." The 1923 book contains a story written by a certain William F. Mulhall, a bartender who plied his trade at New York's Hoffman House in the 1880s. "the Manhattan cocktail was invented by a man named Black who kept a place 10 doors below Houston Street on Broadway in the (eighteen) sixties - probably the most famous drink in the world in its time," wrote Mulhall. Whatever the true story, this cocktail indeed bears the name of the island from which it came.

DARK & STORMY 16

Gosling's Black Seal Rum, ginger beer & lime juice
This drink originated in Bermuda using Goslings black seal rum. When Gosling’s trademarked the Dark ’n’ Stormy at the U.S. patent office, this was the rum it designated as the base spirit. So that's how we serve it today here in Australia with imported rum from Bermuda. The rum is called Black Seal because originally they used to export their rum in old champagne bottles using a blackish wax to seal the bottle, which is also the origin of the seal on the bottle labelling.

BLUE BLAZER 20

Whiskey or rum boiling hot water, gomme and lemon
In 1863 an English traveller named Edward Hingston walked into the El Dorado in San Francisco and stepped up to the bar, there he beheld a magnificent figure wielding two mixing tin mugs and "all ablaze with diamonds" a jewellery display that include a clustered stickpin in his shirt front, diamond cufflinks, and an array of diamond rings. Just as dazzling was his drink (the Blue Blazer) unheard of in Britain. Here was something dazzling to write home about. Hingston was looking at none other than "Jerry the Professor Thomas, (the Jupiter Olympus of the bar) to lift a phrase from the bartenders own drink book, the first ever published in the United States, In a cocktail besotted era, Thomas was first without equals , an inventor, a showman, and a codifier who in the book known variously as "The Bar-tenders guide" "how to mix drinks" or " The Bar Variants Companion" laid down the principles for formulating mixed drinks of all categories and established, the image of the bartender as an artistic and creative professional like David Crockett and Buffalo Billcody, he was the sort of a self-invented, semi mythic figure that, America seemed to spawn in great numbers with his ambience and mind boggling show. Reportedly while Thomas was making this eye catching drink , The President at the Vylsses S Grant was so impressed that he gave , Professor Thomas one of his Cigars. Thomas would only make this drink if the outside temperature was below 50F or if the person ordering the drink had cold or flu, whose symptoms the drink was to alleviate. A pyrotechnic show piece in which an arc of flame is passed back and forth between two mixing glasses at the Occidental hotel. Thomas was so impressive he was earning $100 dollars a week which was more than the vice president of the United States at the time.

HOT BUTTERED RUM 18

Rum, boiling water, butter, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and vanilla
After molasses began being imported to Colonial America from Jamaica, and distilleries opened in New England in the 1650's, colonists began adding distilled rum to hot beverages such as toddies and nogs, creating beverages such as hot buttered rum and eggnogs among others. In the contemporary United States , the term hot toddy and hot buttered rum can be used interchangeably although variations of each will occur regionally. Spiced rum drinks are especially popular during the winter months.

RAMOS GIN FIZZ 18

Gin, orange blossom water, lemon and lime juice, egg white, sugar, cream & vanilla extract
The Ramos Gin Fizz or New Orleans Fizz was invented by Henry Charles Ramos in the early 1880's. It was originally known as the New Orleans Fizz and is one of the city's most famous cocktails back before prohibition, at one time the city was a Mecca for the thirsty and those pioneers who would make a pilgrimage of any sort for a new drink. Exactly what went into the Ramos Gin Fizz was always kept a secret. One thing was for certain you had to go to a Ramos establishment to get what tasted like a real gin fizz. Wherefore, like all successful drinks, the Ramos Gin Fizz was widely imitated but never really duplicated. Possibly no other thirst assuaging emporium gave the mixture the long shaking it received from the shaker boys behind the Ramos bar , and that was the secret of its lip smacking goodness. Come prohibition and the drink that made the name Ramos disappeared, after the return of legal liquor, the trade name of Ramos was acquired by the Hotel Roosevelt and today that is the legal domicile. The Ramos concoction was not known to New Orleanians until 1888 when Henry Ramos went to New Orleans from Baton Rouge and purchased the Imperial Cabinet Saloon from Emile Sunnier. The Cabinet Saloon was located at the corner of Gravier & Carondelet Street (where the modern Sazerac Saloon is located) and above it was a famous restaurant of its day called, The Old Hickory. The saloon would became so crowded that customers were forced to wait for an hour or more (or so it seemed) to be served. It takes 12 minutes to shake a Ramos Gin Fizz properly, so Ramos employed shaker boys to do the shaking for him. Our bartenders do all of our shaking so please be patient when you order one.

BLOODY MARY/RED SNAPPER 18

Vodka or Gin, tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper & celery salt
Like every other cocktail on this list, the history behind the Bloody Mary is also a bit cloudy. One popular legend says that the original Bloody Mary which was made with equal parts tomato juice and vodka and used as a hangover cure, was invented by comedian, songwriter and movie producer George Jessel a.k.a. "The Toastmaster General of the United States" in 1939. However as aptly put by Wall Street Journal columnist and cocktail historian Eric Felton, "Given Jessel's knack of self-promotion many doubted his claim." This made sceptics' search for the true origin of the drink and opened the door for a legend; the head bartender at the Regis Hotel in New York named Fernard "Peter" Petriot. Starting in 1934, Petriot was supposedly serving up Bloody Marys under the alias "Red Snapper" at the hotels King Cole Bar. Petriot would claim that he first invented the cocktail while working at Harry's Bar in Paris during the 1920's.