14 Iconic Drinks Named After Real People

Do you ever think about the names of the drinks that you order? Whether it's at a restaurant, your favorite nightclub, a local neighborhood bar, or at the grocery store, it's entirely plausible that you've picked up a case of Dr. Pepper or ordered a Bloody Mary so many times that you just don't pay much attention to what it's actually called. You should, though, because there are a number of drinks that aren't just named after very real people, but those names come with some fascinating stories.

We're going to talk about a whole range of drinks, from cocktails and mocktails to sodas and tea. It's pretty neat stuff, too, because when we started doing some digging, we found that some drinks were named in honor of the person who created or requested it, while others were named for pop culture icons, historical figures, and in one case, the father of a would-be girlfriend. How's that for smooth?

With that in mind, we're going to promise you some fun history and some fascinating bits of trivia that you'll be able to share at the bar or at your next brunch. In some cases, you may never be able to look at some drinks in quite the same way again.

When it comes to the best drinks to enjoy on a hot, sunny summer afternoon, there's nothing better than the deceptively simple Arnold Palmer. A batch of spiked Arnold Palmers are a sure way to please an entire crowd, but even without a dash of gin, vodka, or Jack Daniel's, it's a delicious, refreshing mix of sweet and tart. It's so incredibly simple, and yes, it's named for the world-famous golf pro who popularized it.

Golf might have a reputation as being one of the most reserved sports, but in his heyday, Palmer was a massive celebrity. Just like Taylor Swift has her Swifties and Beyoncé has her BeyHive, Palmer had Arnie's Army. They were massive, devout, and loyal, so it makes sense then that those fans would not only follow their hero, but popularize his drink.

Palmer has described how the whole thing came about, and if you're making your Arnold Palmers half lemonade and half iced tea, that's not what he had in mind. If you think you know what a real Arnold Palmer is, did you know that it's mostly iced tea with a bit of lemonade? The drink started at his home, but it went mainstream when Palmer ordered it at a restaurant, was overheard by another table, and went 1960s-era viral.

First, the basics: What is Napoleon Cognac, and how long is it aged? The short version of the story is that it's a type of cognac offered by many brands, and it's been double distilled then aged for at least 10 years — although it's open aged for longer — in French oak barrels. It's known for woody or floral notes, it has to be made in France and yes, it's named after Napoleon Bonaparte.

Napoleon was, of course, one of France's most famous military leaders, but perhaps less well-remembered today is that he was not only partial to cognac, but considered it one of his necessary supplies and was responsible for giving cognac a reputation for a sort of high-class respectability. In addition to taking cognac with him on military campaigns he was reportedly linked to Courvoisier, and when he was exiled to the remote island of Saint Helena in 1815, cognac was among his supplies. It's said that it was these particular barrels that were the first to be referred to by his name, and that's the kind of name recognition and endorsement that no business can pass up.

American fans of savory cocktails might be familiar with the Caesar, and Canadian fans definitely are. The classic Caesar adds a fishy twist to the Bloody Mary with the addition of clam juice, so while it's safe to say that it might seem like an acquired taste, it's beloved in Canada. Created in 1969, it was named after the famous Roman emperor, Julius Caesar ... but what's the connection?

The bartender responsible for this concoction is the Italian-born Walter Chell, who made his way to Canada via Switzerland. Tasked with creating a signature drink for the opening of an Italian restaurant and inspired by the cuisine, Chell named the flavorful, tomato-based drink after the dictator who remains one of the most infamous figures in European history.

Many have read Shakespeare's version of the story, but that only scratches the surface. Caesar established himself as a champion of the everyman, worked his way up through the political food chain, and was ultimately installed as dictator, ending Roman democracy before being brutally slaughtered on the Senate floor. That bloody end is one explanation for the drink's other name, the Bloody Caesar. There's another theory, though, which is that one early British customer told Chell it was a "good bloody Caesar." The name stuck, and perhaps the real story is a combination of both.

What would you do for love? Would you invent an entirely new, ground-breaking drink — the first soda of its kind, in fact — and name it after your beloved's father? That's one of several stories about how Dr. Pepper got its name, and while the details are debated, it's not debated that Dr. Charles Pepper was a real person. The soda that we all know and love was created in Waco, Texas — which explains why it was first called Waco. When they realized they were on to something big, creator Charles Alderton and Wade Morrison, who owned the drugstore where Alderton worked, changed it to Dr. Pepper.

Aside from the romantic one, there's a few different stories about why they went with that name. Like all good stories, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle. Pepper was a Civil War-era surgeon and drugstore owner, and also happened to be Morrison's former employer. That, says one theory, is why Morrison opted to use his name, as a thank-you for getting him started in the business. If that's the case, it was a huge shout-out: The soda went early 20th-century viral at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. 

Another claims that the unique mix of flavors was actually Pepper's creation. Whatever the story is, Morrison apparently didn't want to go too far with courtly thanks: Pepper was given no monetary stake in the company that bore his name.

The Ramos Gin Fizz is generally considered to be one of those cocktails that you just shouldn't order at a bar, because it's just way too much work for a bartender who's trying to serve a crowd of people. That's not an exaggeration, and when Henry C. Ramos created the drink that he named for himself, it was so time- and labor-intensive that he employed multiple people who would take turns shaking it for the 12 required minutes it took to make a single drink. The reason for that may have been twofold: Not only did it ensure a deliciously creamy, perfectly blended drink, but Ramos was widely-known for encouraging responsible drinking.

The New Orleans-based Ramos created the drink way back in 1888, but this pre-Prohibition cocktail really didn't make it onto the national scene until 1935. That's when Louisiana Senator Huey P. Long used the drink during a public appearance in which he protested some of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's policies, captivating the crowd and introducing them to NOLA's homegrown cocktail.

When it comes to brunch drinks, there are few that can come close to a fresh peach bellini. It's pretty much summertime in a glass, and that's no accident. The Bellini was created by Giuseppe Cipriani at Venice's iconic Harry's Bar, and the idea was to showcase the locally-sourced white peaches that were in season for a relatively short few months. The drink was then named to honor another Venetian, painter Giovanni Bellini. 

Born in 1435, Bellini was revered for his use of color, shadows, and light, and it was the colors of a few particular paintings that inspired Cipriani and his choice of name for his now-iconic cocktail. Bellini's The Agony in the Garden (pictured, partial) shows the moments before Christ is arrested. Figures sleep as a chalice-bearing cherub answers prayers beneath a sky that's very reminiscent of the orange and peachy shades of Cipriani's cocktail. Similarly inspirational was the artist's portrait of another famous Venetian, Leonardo Loredan, with its golden-hued fabrics. Bellini died in 1516, and even in his elder years he was still lauded by his contemporaries as one of the era's finest artists.

Drinks don't have to be complicated to be delicious, and the classic Shirley Temple is proof of that. This simple mix of ginger ale, grenadine, lemon or lime, and maraschino cherries is deliciously sweet, and hilariously, it wasn't beloved by the Hollywood star it was named after.

When Shirley Temple Black passed away in 2014, NPR did some reminiscing about her Hollywood career, how she inspired the generation that was trying to survive the Great Depression, how she made massive strides in big-screen equality by starring alongside a Black actor named Bill Bojangles Robinson, and how she moved on to become a world-traveling diplomat and ambassador. The drink, though? She described that as "those saccharine, icky drinks." Temple Black went as far as to sue to stop the drink from being made and sold commercially, and strangely, there are a few different places who lay claim to having first made the drink when the young actress was out with her cocktail-drinking parents and wanted one of her own. Given her distaste for it, it's surprising they're not arguing to place the blame.

Galliano is a staple ingredient in many cocktails and there's a good chance that you might have a bottle of it at your own home bar. But do you remember the war hero it was named for? Possibly not: Maggiore Giuseppe Galliano died in 1896, and it was the same year that Arturo Vaccari created the liqueur that bears his name. (It's not quite, however, the same product that's bottled and sold today.) 

Galliano was a career military man,  and spent much of his life assigned to units tasked with supporting Italian colonial efforts in Africa. He's credited with being crucial to securing Italy's initial foothold in Ethiopia during the first Italo-Abyssinian War, and he died during one of the most famous battles. His remains were never recovered, and it's not entirely random that he should have a liqueur named after him: The story goes that he was known for making his own liqueur, and that provided the inspiration for the commercial version named in his honor.

Whether you prefer to make your Earl Grey tea in a way that makes every Brit proud or if you prefer an Earl Grey sweet tea, there's no way to go wrong with the beautifully blended tea with citrusy hints. That particular tea has been around since the 19th century, but it wasn't until the 1990s that it was joined by the similar and more mild Lady Grey tea. And yes, both were real people. 

Not only was Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey real, but it's unlikely that Britain would be the same without him today. He's credited with spearheading a major movement to put political power directly into the hands of the people, and it was a huge change from a government that had historically been run by the upper class. He also oversaw the end of slavery in the empire, and did popularize the tea blend that was given to him as a gift. The Lady Grey in question was his wife, Mary Elizabeth Ponsonby. She's also credited with the tea's popularity, as she's the one who regularly served it to guests.

The classic gin rickey has everything going for it, from simplicity and versatility to a downright delicious, refreshing flavor. It's just what you need on a hot summer afternoon, and beating the sweltering, Washington, D.C. heat was exactly why it was first created ... albeit with bourbon.

That original version was the drink of choice for Colonel Joe Rickey, and although the history gets a little fuzzy on this point, it's believed that he can also take credit for creating the now-popular drink. The story goes that in 1883, he asked for it while he was at the Washington, D.C. bar Shoo's. When he asked for another, it was the bartender who christened it with his name. Shoo's is, sadly, no longer there, but Rickey actually owned it for a time. He was a pretty big deal in other ways, too, as a lobbyist and political campaigner — although today, it's mostly his drink that he's remembered for. When his 1903 death was announced, it was alongside a reminder that he was the one to credit for putting this summertime classic together.

Dubonnet might be French, but famously, a gin and Dubonnet was the favorite cocktail of English royalty: Specifically, of Queen Elizabeth II. Dubonnet itself has a fascinating history, and it was essentially made to treat malaria. Sort of. Records of using cinchona bark to treat malaria go back to the 17th century, and the actual use of it probably predates that. It was only in 1820 that scientists were able to isolate the antimalarial component of the bark, which was quinine.

Unfortunately, quinine is as disgusting as it is life-saving, and it turns out that no matter how old you are, it's tough to get some people to take their medicine. When quinine is mixed with fortified wine, however, it turns into something delicious — and that's exactly what Joseph Dubonnet did. He was a chemist who answered France's request for a tasty, quinine-laced product, and he did more than deliver an easy-to-administer medicine. It was so good that it spread through the civilian population, and it remains a popular apéritif.

Ordering a Bloody Mary for someone else is always a bit risky, unless you're absolutely certain they love these savory bunch classics. There are a few different stories about just how the drink got such a gruesome name, and while the color is one clue, there's a little more to it than that. Although there are claims that it was named after a 1930s-era server, the most widely accepted story is that it's a nod to the gory nickname of a 16th-century queen. 

Queen Mary I was the daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. That's the wife that Henry started the Church of England in order to divorce — and this ends up being important to Mary's story, as she retained her Catholic faith. Mary took the English throne in 1553, and married Prince Philip II of Spain. Philip became king, and it was a perfect match — he loudly and repeatedly declared himself a protector of Catholicism. The marriage was short-lived, but Mary and Philip still managed to execute 280 people who opted to be burned at the stake instead of embrace Catholicism, and Mary died after five years of executions, conflict, and rebellions.

We here at Tasting Table gave the Rob Roy a shout-out as one of the absolute best scotch cocktails, particularly because it allows any scotch you choose to use room to shine. A simple, straightforward cocktail that calls for scotch, bitters, and vermouth, it was originally created in 1894 at the famous Waldorf Astoria. The oft-told and widely accepted story is that it was named for the title — and title character — of an operetta that it was created in celebration of. But who was Rob Roy?

It's tricky, thanks in large part to Sir Walter Scott. Scott is the one who wrote the most famous account of his life, and it's one of those things where fiction kind of gets in the way of history. Scott paints the picture of a Scottish outlaw, rebel, and highwayman, and that's at least mostly true. After playing the middleman and pitting neighboring lords against each other, he found himself broke and largely friendless — especially when those two lords teamed up against him and he found himself jailed and facing transportation. He dodged that and died seven years later in 1734.

The Mary Pickford is another straightforward yet delicious cocktail, a tropical concoction of rum, grenadine, and pineapple juice. While there's a lot of debate around exactly who created this cocktail, where, why, and what the circumstances were, it's not debated that it was named for Hollywood star Mary Pickford. 

The name doesn't ring a bell? It should because Hollywood wouldn't look the same without her influence. She's one of the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, her movie credits include 247 acting credits, 35 producing credits, and 14 writing credits, and that includes a whopping 43 silent films released in 1909. It's often said that the cocktail was first created in Cuba, which is entirely possible — although the oft-repeated tale that Pickford was there to be served the very first one has been proven false. 

What we do know is that if you want a delicious cocktail that's incredibly strong — and celebrates women in the drink industry — this is your cocktail, and not only because of Pickford's influence in Hollywood. Part of the reason it was successful is because it was made in Cuba during the United States' Prohibition, a time and place where — unlike stateside — women were welcomed in bars.