It is widely believed that the Martini was invented in San Francisco at the Occidental Hotel* by bartender Jerry Thomas.

The Occidental Hotel was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake. It was located on Montgomery Street between Bush and Sutter. Originally called “the Martinez,” Thomas made his cocktail for passengers waiting to board the ferry for the town of Martinez. There’s hardly been a recipe more fiddled with than the Martini, but here is what might be the closest thing to a Jazz Age Martini:

There were mixed drinks before the Old Fashioned, but the “The Old-Fashioned Whiskey Cocktail,” is considered by many to be the original cocktail, dating back to the early 17th century. Some say, however, that the Old Fashioned was invented in a gentleman’s club in Louisville. Whatever you believe about its origins, you have to admit that the Old Fashioned is truly that–a vintage drink that was around well before the Jazz Age, but never lost its popularity despite Prohibition.

Named after the 20th Century Limited, the most famous train of the Jazz Age, which ran from New York’s Grand Central Station to Chicago, this delectable cocktail was actually invented in London. The Jazz Age Junkie loves this quote about The 20th Century from Ted Haigh, author of Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails: “With this cocktail, I believe we now have a firm idea of what Art Deco tastes like.”

Another cocktail with a name that conjures up visions of the Great War, the Sidecar is said to be the 1920s brainchild of Harry MacElhone of Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, where several other cocktails were originated. Among them: the already mentioned French 75, the White Lady and the Bloody Mary. Yummy!

Another drink created in the 1920s by Harry MacElhone, the Monkey Gland mocks the bogus claim by a Russian doctor that grafting money testicle tissue into humans would make them live longer. The Monkey Gland instead gives us a drink that just makes us want to live longer.

These are two completely different hair-of-the-dog cocktails with a similar objective – to cure a hangover. They are, however, both delightful to imbibe at cocktail hour as the Jazz Age Junkie hopes you never drink in the morning, or more importantly, do not indulge to the point of inducing a hangover. Here are the recipes and directions taken from 1930’s The Savoy Cocktail Book authored by bartender Harry Cradock of the Savoy Hotel.

Pisco Punch was made famous by Duncan Nicol at the Bank Exchange Saloon in San Francisco* well before the Jazz Age, but it helped many a San Franciscan through the Great Depression, and you may find it helpful today.

F. Scott Fitzgerald famously said, “Too much of anything is a bad thing, but too much champagne is just right.” During the Jazz Age, too much champagne was consumed from a coupe, a martini glass, or a champagne saucer, which is a wide coupe, but we know better now. The surface of those classic glasses allow the fizz to evaporate too rapidly, so don’t hesitate to drink your bubbly from a flute. Or stick to the Jazz Age style and simply drink it quickly before the fizz fizzles.

The Manhattan’s origins are unclear. Some say it was created in the 1880s at New York City’s Manhattan Club. Its recipe has been about the same since before the Jazz Age. So if you want to drink something classic, the Manhattan is a good choice.

Invented in 1919 in Florence, Italy, a story is told that Count Camillo Negroni asked the bartender at Caffè Casoni to give his favorite cocktail, the Americano, a little extra punch. That bartender, Fosco Scarselli, came up with the idea of switching out soda for gin. Add a garnish of orange peel and voila – the Negroni.

The story is that the powerful kick of this cocktail is why it was named for a World War I field gun with a potent recoil. In truth, it’s no more powerful than any other cocktail. The reference to a lethal cannon is a little ironic as much of the drinking done during the Jazz Age was done to forget the Great War.

People in the Jazz Age were besotted with aviation and aviators. No one was more famous than Charles Lindbergh (Lucky Lindy) or Amelia Earhart (not so lucky). So, of course, there had to be a cocktail to celebrate them.

There are several stories about the origin of The Bee’s Knees. One says the head bartender at the Ritz in Paris in 1921, one Frank Meier, was probably the cocktail’s creator. Another says The Unsinkable Molly Brown invented it, and some say the Bee’s Knees was simply created to mask the taste of bathtub gin during Prohibition. Whatever its origin, The Bee’s Knees is a sweet, citrusy cocktail that’s easy to make and swell to drink.

I have to include the Blood and Sand for two reasons: because Harry Craddock included it in The Savoy Cocktail Book and because it was named after the 1922 bullfighting film starring Rudolph Valentino. Its popularity seems to have faded away probably due to its unpleasant name, which most people would not associate with a film title. It also resembles blood, and that is definitely disconcerting unless you’re Nosferatu.

Some say the Sazerac is the oldest American cocktail, originating in New Orleans where it is still widely celebrated. Originally made with cognac, today it is more commonly a rye-based drink. To be faithful to the original, I’m going to give you the cognac recipe.

Gin.