Buying someone you’d like to get to know better a drink is a great way to start a conversation, but what if your order could do a little talking for you? Cocktail Language (カクテル言葉), ascribes meaning to cocktails, so that customers can use them to communicate. It’s like the Victorian-era custom of sending bouquets of certain flowers to convey a message, but a lot more fun. There quite a few web pages on the subject, but since this is a purely Japanese phenomenon, you won’t find any in English. But even if this doesn’t apply in bars outside Japan, it’s a fun bit of knowledge to flex. I’ll go over a few of the cocktails and their meanings. If you’re interested in making these drinks at home, I recommend Difford’s Guide or Cocktaillog.
Etymology of a Cocktail
Some cocktail meanings are straightforward. For example, the Sidecar is named for the motorcycle attachment. Since it allows two people to travel together, the cocktail means “always together.” Other meanings are more roundabout: While the Blue Moon gets its signature color from either Creme de Violette or Parfait Amour, the juxtaposition of “perfect love” and the astronomical rarity the cocktail is named for translates to “unreasonable consultation” or “unrequited love.”
Someone Bought You a Cocktail: What now?
Imagine yourself in a bar in Japan. It’s dimly lit and mostly quiet aside from music playing softly in the background. As you people watch and nurse your own drink, the bartender inches a Cassis Soda toward you, stating that this cocktail came from one of the other patrons. This cocktail made of currant liquor and club soda means, “you are attractive.” What happens if you reject it? You reject the sender as well. If you accept the drink, that’s a green light to strike up a conversation. You can take it a step further and buy them a drink in return.
A Few Options (source: Five Needs)
Classic Cocktails:
Martini – beauty with thorns
Gin and Tonic – strong will
Gimlet – “the long goodbye” (Note: the meaning of this cocktail comes from the book by Raymond Chandler). This cocktail can also means “thoughts of someone far away,” referencing how the gimlet was supposedly prescribed as a cure for scurvy on long-distance voyages across the ocean.
Love Confession:
Apricot Fizz – Please look my way
Screwdriver – You’ve stolen my heart
Rob Roy – I want to capture your heart
Happy, Mutual Feelings:
Tequila Sunrise – Passionate love
Kir – I’m glad we met
Gin Lime – Unfading love (Note: similar to the Cassis Soda, there aren’t recipes for this in English, but from this recipe, this cocktail is made with gin, lime juice and water)
Rejection:
Blue Moon – Unreasonable consultation; Unrequited love
Twilight Zone – I’m passing (on your offer)
Icebreaker – Please calm down
Friendship:
Frozen Margarita – Cheer up
California Lemonade – Eternal gratitude
Moscow Mule – Let’s make up
Words To Live By:
Daiquiri – Hope
Old Fashioned – I’ll go my way
Bloody Mary – Resolute victory
If your cocktail of choice wasn’t on the list, leave a comment with cocktails you’d like to know the meaning of, and I’ll continue this cocktail language series!