Cocktails are the most American of alcoholic beverages, and at the same time the most international of drinks. Created in the United States around 1806, they quickly spilled over into all corners of the globe. The cocktail's ancestor, punch, arrived from the British colonies and became a mainstay of taverns and entertaining at home in the eighteenth century. After ice began to be mechanically harvested and sold, and mixers such as soda water invented, the modern cocktail was born; and with it cocktail parties, cocktail dresses, cocktail hors d'oeuvres, cocktail napkins and the Molotov cocktail. From Singapore to New York, Rio to Bangkok, Joseph M. Carlin describes how cocktails have influenced society around the world, and explores the new breed of cocktails currently being fashioned by artisanal mixologists. Featuring many tempting recipes, "Cocktails: A Global History" will appeal to anyone who enjoys a cocktail or is interested in how some of our most popular drinks were invented and travelled around the globe.