In honour of International Women’s Day, Bars and Clubs is bringing you 10 amazing women celebrated by, The Bottle Club.
The UK retailer’s list highlights the place in history of these iconic women and celebrates how they shaped the industry. Cheers to shattering the glass ceiling – and many cocktail glasses along the way.
1770s: Betsy Flanagan
Betsy Flanagan coined the word “cocktail” in her Yorktown tavern in the 1770s. Flanagan is said to have stirred drinks decorated with colourful rooster tails to show her support of the rebels during the English occupation of northern Virginia – dubbing the term ‘cocktail.’
The name cocktail was born as a cry for freedom by the oppressed.
While this remains legend, it’s obvious that Betsy was an innovative entrepreneur, who was witty and successful, as stories of her legend are still told to this day.
1874: Jennie Churchill
Appearing in popular media across the globe, from Sex and the City to James Bond, The Manhattan cocktail is one of the world’s most recognisable.
The lesser known member of the Churchill family, with the likes of Winston Churchill remembered throughout history, Jennie Churchill has a legacy worth celebrating. In 1874, Jennie threw a party at the Manhattan Club, and what’s a party without a cocktail? This led to the iconic birth of The Manhattan.
1880s: Nancy the Moonshiner
The history books often leave out female figures, and it’s no different for Nancy the Moonshiner.
In 1880s New Jersey, Moonshine was known as illegally-made, hard alcoholic spirits. As drinking was historically a male activity where women typically weren’t welcome, Nancy the Moonshiner would go out disguised as a man and steal fruits from orchards near her home. She made a booming business selling it and became well known for her strong distilled cider.
Today, Moonshine is hugely popular and made with many cocktail delicacies such as Jalapeno Moonshine, Cherry Bomb, and Black Beard’s Rum.
1930s: Ada Coleman
It’s surprising to know that there was a time when it was illegal for women to even be in bars, much less work there. Despite this, 1930s London saw a rise in young female bartenders, typically under 25. However, with that there was a rise in protests to outlaw the practice as being damaging to the morals of young women.
Ada Coleman became the world’s first celebrity bartender, a popular hostess for the elite, and an admired mixologist. She invented the “Hanky Panky” cocktail which is still popular worldwide. In 2015, the Hanky Panky was listed in the top 50 most popular cocktails by Drinks International.
1930s: Marjorie Hillis
In 1936 Post-Depression America, Marjorie Hillis, editor at Vogue magazine, published a self-help, inspirational guide, Live Alone and Like It: The Art of Solitary Refinement.
Her guide included the chapter ‘A Lady And Her Liquor’ which advised single women on what booze to stock, how to mix different cocktails and for which guests, and her own personal recipes. In a time where many of us are now experimenting with our own mixology skills at home, Marjorie Hillis remains influential.
Hillis came long before modern icons like Carrie Bradshaw and Bridget Jones – and though she was a bestselling author, she has largely been forgotten.
1940s: Margarita Carmen Cansino
Raise your Margarita to Margarita Carmen Cansino herself, better known as Old Hollywood actress Rita Hayworth. Rita is said to have inspired barman Enrique Bastante Gutierez, a former cocktail champion who mixed drinks for some of the world’s most famous film stars, to invent the Margarita due to her glamour and beauty.
The Margarita has certainly stood the test of time and is one of our favourite cocktails today.
1990s: Joy Spence
Known as the First Lady of Spirits, Joy Spence is a Jamaican chemist and master blender at Appleton Estate, becoming the first female blender in 1997.
Since then, she’s created many of the blends that made Appleton Estate famous. Her love, expertise and personal touch goes into each and every bottle to produce only the finest concoctions. Joy was the first, and today remains only one of three women Master Blenders in the world.
2000s: Lesley Gracie
Lesley Gracie is now Hendrick’s most iconic master distiller, but she started off as a chemist in the 1990s who then worked her way up to creating the cult-beloved Hendrick’s Gin recipe.
This was influenced by her love of botanicals, the mysteries of mother nature and her own botanical adventures. She was challenged by Charlie Gordon, the late CEO of William Grant & Sons, to create a new kind of gin that would defy all convention, which she definitely succeeded in.
Thank goodness for the alchemic genius of Lesley Gracie.
2010s: Julie Reiner
Julie Reiner has been elevating the cocktail scene in New York for 15 years, founding such bars as Flatiron Lounge in Manhattan and Clover Club in Brooklyn.
She also wrote “The Craft Cocktail Party: Delicious Drinks for Every Occasion,” in 2015, which takes inspiration from her native Hawaii by utilising the freshest fruits and premier spices. She wanted to balance the needs of the everyday drinker with those of the passionate mixologist, and the book became a worldwide bestseller.
2010s: Nayana Ferguson
Nayana is the first black woman in the world to found a tequila company. She’s a pancreatic and breast cancer survivor and cancer awareness advocate, and initially created Anteel for health reasons as she wanted to enjoy cocktails without the harmful additives.
Tequila is a spirit that is made from the agave plant, so it is naturally gluten free and low in carbs, sugar and calories. Ferguson wanted to educate people on the benefits of tequila and change the stereotypical thought of what tequila is.
Anteel Tequila has won 25 Awards & Accolades since 2019, making it one of the most awarded tequila brands.
