The Plant Origins of Your Favorite Cocktails

Grain sorghum is said to have been introduced to the U.S. by Benjamin Franklin, and this coarse grass is considered one of the most important cereal crops in the world.  A potent Chinese drink with a high alcohol content and strong flavor, Baijiu, is made with sorghum. Some beers, whiskeys and cocktails are also sorghum-based.

This delicious drink starts with sorghum syrup and a cinnamon-flavored whiskey called Fireball. 

Ingredients: 1.5 oz Fireball, 1/4 ounce sorghum syrup mix (equal parts water & sorghum syrup) / 2.5 ounce apple juice / 2 dashes Bar Keep Apple Bitters.

Directions: Mix together 1/4 ounce sorghum syrup with equal parts water. Then mix Fireball, sorghum syrup mixture, apple juice and Dashes Bar Keep Apple Bitters. Shake over ice, strain and enjoy.

Both tequila and mezcal are made from agaves, although tequila is made only from blue Weber agaves and comes from Jalisco and a few other states in Mexico. The alcohols are distilled from their succulent source by different methods.

A Purple Rain cocktail from the Four Seasons Atlanta blends Don Julio Blanco tequila, fresh lemon and lime juices, cranberry syrup and a lavender flower from the luxury hotel's rooftop garden.