3 Cocktails Named After Famous Women

It’s Women’s History Month, with March 8 being International Women’s Day. It’s a period when we reflect on the contributions of women to the world’s history and society.

In celebration of all things #GirlPower, we look at women who have had a drink named after them, for reasons ranging from the innocent to the notorious.

Shirley Temple

If you can hold the responsibility for your whole family on your shoulders at a young age, you must be very brave. However, if you can hold the responsibility for your whole country on your shoulders at a young age, you must be Shirley Temple.

Franklin Roosevelt even said: “As long as we have Shirley Temple, this country is going to be alright.”

Now that she’s gone, we have to wonder…

Shirley Temple is a non-alcoholic mixed drink traditionally made with ginger ale and a splash of grenadine, garnished with a maraschino cherry. Modern Shirley Temple recipes may substitute lemon-lime soda or lemonade and sometimes orange juice in part, or in whole.

Ginger Rogers

“I’ve got enough nerve to do anything!” – Ginger Rogers in “Swing Time”.

Not only was she a singer-dancer-comedienne, but that multifaceted nature extended to the way she played her parts. Her level-headedness and work ethics were much praised in Hollywood.

The singer/dancer/actress may have done everything Fred Astaire did—in heels and backwards—but there’s no drink named for him, is there? Made with gin, ginger ale, lemon juice, fresh ginger (or syrup) and mint, bartenders have created variations for years since its invention in the Prohibition years.

Destined to become a modern classic, this Ginger Rogers cocktail is perfectly refreshing.

Elizabeth Taylor

“Even at the center of attention in Hollywood, Elizabeth Taylor was never too precious to protect herself from ego plunder. She engaged with life on its own terms, even as it periodically killed her hopes and her looks and her love life and her health and her reputation. Ultimately, she was unperturbed, and unshakably generous in her good humor, particularly when the jokes were at her expense. She bravely put her best chin forward and gave life the simple love of an honest, human, achingly beautiful young girl.” – salon.com

Liz Taylor’s daily diet reportedly consisted of the following: scrambled eggs, bacon, and a mimosa for breakfast; French bread filled with peanut butter and bacon for lunch; and fried chicken, peas, biscuits, gravy, mashed potatoes, corn bread, homemade potato chips, trifle, and a tumbler full of Jack Daniel’s for dinner. She once said her favourite cocktail was Hershey’s Syrup, vodka, and Kahlua.

“Pour yourself a drink, put on some lipstick, and pull yourself together.” – Elizabeth Taylor