1900s–2000s

The Waldorf-Astoria in New York City had been open for seven years and set the standard for quality cocktails around the world. Drink making was appreciated and bartending was an art form. The hotel bar never published a cocktail book, but newspaperman and barfly Albert Crockett published The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book in 1931 and 1935, which gives us a glimpse into that era. In the early 1900s, breweries owned most saloons, barkeeps made $15 a week ($400 in 2018 currency), and Sunday was the busiest day of the week. On January 16, 1920, the American Prohibition started, then ended December 5, 1933. The stock market crashed, media popularized cocktails, many brands were produced, discotheques increased sales, the drinking age changed twice, the AIDS epidemic hit, the stock market crashed again, and strict drinking and driving laws confused imbibers for several years—as a result of all this upheaval, the quality of cocktails sunk to an all-time low.

 

 

There were also five significant wars in the 1900s that affected imbibing Americans: World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and the Gulf War. The millennium brought the skankification of women in rap music videos, the increase of Cognac sales, half-dressed female bartenders dancing on bar tops, the Cosmopolitan and the Mojito became the most popular cocktails in the world, embarrassing Martini bars popped up—but—the most important development is that the cocktail culture renaissance seeds were planted.

 

More technology happened in during this time than 10,000 years combined. Some inventions in this century include electricity, the blender, the juicer, refrigeration, air-conditioning, the phonograph, radio, the eight-track player, the cassette tape, the compact disc, the boom box, the Walkman, DVDs, iTunes, the automobile, the airplane, the helicopter, the spaceship, motion picture theaters, talkies, drive-in theaters, television, VCRs, special-effects blockbusters, DVRs, online television, the camera, the video camera, neon lights, the zipper, stainless steel, canned beer, the telephone, the cellular phone, the smartphone, texting, the microwave, the calculator, robots, the ballpoint pen, medical discoveries, the fax machine, the pager, the computer, the Internet, Skype, the Hubble space telescope, and social media.

 

Names of bars, saloons, and clubs in the 1900s–2000s include Fox and Hound, Filthy McNasty’s, Fuzz & Firkin, Slug and Lettuce, Snooty Fox, Ciro’s, Chez Victor, the Ohio Club, the Ritz, Whiskey A Go-Go, Stork Club, the Tiki Lounge, VooDoo Lounge, the Palace Saloon, Sloppy Joe’s, Studio 54, Le Freak, Disco Inferno, Cabaret, Electric Cowboy, the Rainbow Room, the Starlight Room, the Velvet Tango Room, Coyote Ugly, Angel’s Share, Absinthe Brassiere & Bar, and Milk & Honey, PDT, Death & Co, Honeycut, Clover Club, Bourbon & Branch, Canon, Revel, Employees Only, the Violet Room, Three Dots and a Dash, and the Dead Rabbit.

 

Drinking words heard include “acting like a fool,” “baked,” “bashed,” “blasted,” “blitzed,” “blown away,” “bombed,” “bonkers,” “buzzed,” “canned,” “creamed,” “crocked,” “done,” “double vision,” “fried,” “gone,” “hammered,” “high,” “liquored up,” “lit,” “party animal,” “three sheets to the wind,” “shitfaced,” “slave to drink,” “stoned,” “tipsy,” “toasted,” and “wasted.”

 

Brands and spirits launched in the 1900s–2000s are too many to mention, but include Cutty Sark Scotch, Havana Club rum, Jägermeister, Kahlúa, B&B, Crown Royal, Don Julio tequila, Captain Morgan spiced rum, Irish Mist, Yukon Jack, Finlandia vodka, Stoli vodka, Midori melon liqueur, Baileys Irish cream, Zacapa rum, Absolut vodka, Chambord, Peachtree schnapps, Bartles & Jaymes wine coolers, Absolut Peppar, Absolut Citron, Bombay Sapphire, Gentleman Jack, Patron Tequila, Guinness in cans, Johnnie Walker gold, Crown Royal Reserve, Skyy vodka, Wild Turkey Rare Breed, Grey Goose vodka, Belvedere vodka, Tito’s vodka, Redrum, Plymouth gin, Three Olives vodka, Smirnoff Ice, Van Gogh gin, Hendrick’s gin, Jack Daniel’s single barrel, Bulleit Bourbon, and Smirnoff flavored vodkas, Ancho Reyes Chile liqueur, Ford’s gin, Chambord vodka, Zucca Amaro, St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, Stiggins Plantation pineapple rum, and Sipsmith gin.

 

Early 1900s

The Pisco Sour is invented in Peru.

 

1900

Harry Johnson publishes Harry Johnson’s Bartenders’ Manual or How to Mix Drinks of the Present Style.

 

William T. Boothby publishes the second edition of Cocktail Boothby’s American Bartender.

 

1902

Louis Eppinger invented the Bamboo Cocktail in Yokohama, Japan.

 

1903

Edward Spencer publishes The Flowing Bowl. Click on the book to look inside.

Tim Daly publishes Daly’s Bartenders’ Encyclopedia.

 

1904

Frederick J. Drake and Company publishes a vest-pocket recipe book, Drinks as They Are Mixed. The recipes were gathered by leading Chicago bartenders. 

 

John Applegreen publishes Applegreen’s Bar Book. This book contains a recipe for a Martini Cocktail.

 

Paris Ritz bartender Frank P. Newman publishes American-Bar Recettes des Boissons Anglaises et Américaine.

 

1905

Johnnie Solon invents the Bronx cocktail at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

Charles S. Mahoney publishes The Hoffman House Bartender’s Guide.

 

1906
Louis Muckensturm publishes Louis’ Mixed Drinks. This is the first book in English calling for gin and vermouth for the Dry Martini recipe.

 

George J. Kappeler publishes Modern American Drinks: How to Mix and Serve All Kinds of Cups and Drinks.

 

1908

Hon. Wm. Boothby publishes The World’s Drinks and How to Mix Them Standard Authority. Click on the book to look inside.

 

1910

First in-flight cocktails are served to paying passengers on a scheduled airliner, on the Zeppelin flying over Germany.

 

1911

Sir Thomas Dewar erects the world’s largest mechanical sign (sixty-eight feet) advertising Dewar’s Scotch whisky on the Thames River embankment.

 

1912

Charles S. Mahoney publishes The Hoffman House Bartender’s Guide.

The Bartenders Association of America publishes Bartenders’ Manual.

 

1914

Jacques Straub publishes Drinks.

 

1915

The El Presidente cocktail is invented at Bar la Florida (Floridita) in Havana, Cuba.

 

1916

The first recorded cocktail party is hosted by Mrs. Julius S. Walsh Jr. from St. Louis, Missouri, and published in the St. Paul Pioneer Press newspaper mentioning cocktails: Clover Leafs, Highballs, Gin Fizzes, Bronxes, Martinis, and Manhattans.

 

Hugo R. Ensslin publishes Recipes for Mixed Drinks. The book mentions the first Aviation cocktail. Click on the book to look inside.

 

1917

Even though African Americans had been tending bar since the 1700s, Tom Bullock is the first known to publish a cocktail recipe book, The Ideal Bartender. Click on the book to look inside.

 

1919

Harry MacElhone publishes Harry’s ABC of Mixing Cocktails. One of the most popular cocktails is the White Lady.

 

American tourists love Italy’s Torino-Milano cocktail, so the name was changed to Americano.

 

The Grasshopper is believed to be invented at Tujague’s in New Orleans.

 

1920

The American Prohibition begins. Americans visit Cuba, Mexico, and Canada to drink legal cocktails.

Bertha E. L. Stockbridge publishes What to Drink.

 

The book This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald has the first known literary mention of the Daiquiri.

 

1922

Patrick McGarry invents the Buck’s Fizz at the Buck’s Club in London.

Harry MacElhone invents the Brandy Alexander at Ciro’s in London.

 

The Blood and Sand cocktail is created after Rudolph Valentino from the film of the same name.

 

It is believed that Fosco Scarselli creates the Negroni.

 

1923

Harry MacElhone invents the Monkey Gland at the New York Bar in Paris.

Bartender Frank Meier invents the Mimosa at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, France

 

1924

Harry MacElhone and O. O. McIntyre create the International Bar Flies at the New York Bar in Paris.

 

1927

Harry MacElhone publishes Barflies and Cocktails in Paris.

 

1928

Jerry Thomas’s book is republished (Thomas died in 1885) with the title The Bon Vivants Companion or How to Mix Drinks.

 

1930

Harry Craddock publishes Savoy Cocktail Book.

 

Greta Garbo stars in her first “talkie,” Anna Christie, and her first words are “Gimme a whiskey, ginger ale on the side.”

 

1932

The Napier Company produces a cocktail shaker with engraved recipes called the "Tells-You-How Mixer."

 

Davide Campari packages Campari and soda water in cone-shaped bottles.

 

1934

Walter Bergeron invents the Vieux Carré cocktail at the Carousel Bar in New Orleans.

Don the Beachcomber invents the Zombie in Hollywood, California.

 

The first Thin Man film is released starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. Cocktails seen include Martini, Bronx, and Knickerbocker. Powell says his famous line when showing the bartenders how to shake a cocktail: “The important thing is the rhythm. Always have rhythm in your shaking. Now, a Manhattan you shake to foxtrot time; a Bronx, to two-step time; a dry martini you always shake to waltz time.”

 

Jazz Bandleader and singer Cab Calloway releases the song “The Call of the Jitterbug.” The first line of the song is “If you'd like to be a jitterbug, first thing you must do is get a jug, put whiskey, wine, and gin within and shake it all up and then begin.

 

1936

The Bacardi Cocktail is the first and only cocktail to date to win a court case making it illegal to serve this cocktail without using Bacardi rum.

 

Kahlúa Mexican coffee liqueur is introduced.

 

1937

Constantino Ribaliagua Vert invents the Hemingway Special (Papa Dobl) at Bar la Florida (Floridita) in Havana, Cuba.

 

1939

The Zombie is served at the 1939 New York World’s Fair.

Crown Royal is introduced. It was created for Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Canada.

 

1940s

The Moscow Mule is invented.

 

1942

It is believed that Pat O’Brien invents the Hurricane in New Orleans.

Joseph Sheridan invents the Irish Coffee at Foynes Airbase in Limerick, Ireland.

It is believed that the Rusty Nail is invented in Hawaii.

The film Casablanca is popular and many cocktails are seen in Rick’s Bar.

 

1944

Trader Vic invents the Mai Tai in Oakland, California.

 

1945

The Andrews Sisters release the song “Rum and Coca-Cola” and it becomes the #1 song in America. Radio stations ban the song, which makes it even more popular.

 

Giuseppe Cipriani invents the Bellini at Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy, but does not name it until 1948.

 

Victor Bergeron publishes Trader Vic's Bartender’s Guide.

 

1948

The Margarita becomes the official drink of Mexico.

 

A small group of California bartenders—who were overseas members of the United Kingdom Bartenders’ Guild—start a California branch of that organization in the Los Angeles area.

 

Gustave Tops invents the Black Russian at the Hotel Metropole in Brussels.

 

The first known mention of a cocktail on a radio show is heard. Guests at a party order Stingers from the butler on The Whistler radio drama show, “Guilty Conscience”. Several references are made to their intoxicating strength.

 

1952

Stanton Delaplane brings the Irish Coffee to the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco. Today they sell over 2,000 a day.

 

1953

Ian Fleming writes about a fictional character named James Bond. In chapter seven, Bond orders a Dry Martini served in a deep champagne goblet with three measures of Gordon’s gin, one of Gordon’s vodka, and half a measure of Lillet dry vermouth, then shaken very well until ice-cold, and topped with a garnish of lemon peel. This is the first reference to combining both vodka and gin in a Martini. It is named Vesper.

 

1954

The Piña Colada is invented at the Caribe Hilton’s Beachcomber Bar in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

 

1955

The Rat Pack, headed by Frank Sinatra, glamorizes cocktails by holding them on stage and during TV performances

 

1957

Harry Yee invents the Blue Hawaii at the Hawaiian Village on the Island of O’ahu.

The Piña Colada becomes Puerto Rico’s official drink by winning a global award.

 

1951

The International Bartenders Association (IBA) is started.

 

1960

The first Playboy Club opens at 116 East Walton in Chicago and becomes the busiest bar in the world, often serving 1,400 guests a day. Cocktails cost $1.50 ($13 in 2018 currency).

 

1961

Come September starring Rock Hudson, Bobby Darin, and Sandra Dee was the very first film shown on transcontinental and intercontinental flights. Hudson 

drinks a Martini for breakfast. The servant asks him if there is anything else he may want and Rock replies, “an oliveThe best scene is when Rock tends bar and serves Bobby Darin and his friends brandy. 

 

1962

The first James Bond film, Dr. No, shows Sean Connery making a Smirnoff Martini in his hotel room and ordering Vodka Martinis shaken not stirred. In today’s terminology—it went viral. He also orders a Vodka Martini when visiting Dr. No.

 

 

 

 

1965

Alan Stillman opens a New York City bar and grill as the first public cocktail party hang and names it TGI Friday’s (Thank God It’s Friday). Lifetime magazine credited Friday’s with ushering in the Singles Era and within six months of opening, Stillman was written up in Time, Newsweek, and the Saturday Evening Post. Before then, there was not a place for twenty- and thirty-somethings to meet except for cocktail parties held around the city in homes and apartments. Stillman painted the building blue, put up red-and-white-striped awnings, bought the staff red-and-white-striped shirts, threw sawdust on the floor, hung up some Tiffany lamps, and added brass railings. Many creative, fun, and party cocktails were birthed in TGI Friday’s.

 

1966

India’s ambassador B. N. Chakravarty says, “Americans are a funny lot. They drink whiskey to keep warm; then they put some ice in to make it cool. They put sugar in to make it sweet; and then they put a slice of lemon in it to make it sour. Then they say, ‘Here’s to you’ and drink it themselves.”

 

1969

Bobby Lozoff invents the Tequila Sunrise in Sausalito, California, while tending bar at The Trident.

 

1972

Robert “Rosebud” Butt in Long Island, New York, invents the Long Island Iced Tea while tending bar at Oak Beach Inn.

Stolichnaya vodka is introduced.

The TV show M*A*S*H debuts. The lead doctor characters, Hawkeye and Trapper John, drink Martinis from the still they built in their quarters.

 

1973

After the Vietnam War, TGI Friday’s begins franchising all over the world and actually stays a fresh bar until the late 1970s. TGI Friday’s set a standard when it came to training staff. They had a reputation for the most challenging training programs for any chain restaurant/bar in the world. They created the first bartender gods since the beginning of Prohibition. TGI Friday’s bartenders also started flair bartending, which led to the 1988 Tom Cruise film Cocktail.

 

Jose Cuervo puts the recipe for a Tequila Sunrise on the back of their bottle, then three months later the Eagles release their hit song “Tequila Sunrise.”

 

1974

Baileys Irish cream is introduced and new drinks created include the Mississippi Mudslide and B-52.

 

1975

In the fall, Neal Murray creates the first known Cosmopolitan 

 

1977

Jimmy Buffett releases the song “Margaritaville,” making the Margarita the most popular drink of the year—and it has stayed in the top ten since.

 

Stan Jones publishes the Jones’ Complete Barguide.

 

The first known newspaper mention of a Kamikaze was in the February 1 issue of the Minneapolis Star.

 

1978

Midori melon liqueur is launched to create the Melon Ball for the wrap party of Saturday Night Fever at Studio 54. Midori Sours become popular.

 

1979

The Piña Colada is popular due to Rupert Holmes’s Piña Colada song, Escape.

Absolut vodka is introduced.

 

Ray Foley publishes Bartender Magazine.

 

1981

Neal Murray (1975 inventor of the Cosmopolitan) introduces San Francisco to the Cosmopolitan at the Elite Café (2049 Fillmore Street). Murray works as a server, but teaches bartender Michael Brennan how to make it so Murray can serve it to customers.

 

1982

Schumann’s Cocktail Bar opens in Munich, Germany.

 

1984

Peachtree schnapps and Captain Morgan spiced rum are introduced.

The Fuzzy Navel becomes popular.

 

Earl Bernhardt and Pam Fortner invent the Hand Grenade® for the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition.

 

The Sex on the Beach cocktail becomes popular.

Heywood Gould releases the novel Cocktail.

 

1985

General Manager of the Fog City Diner in San Francisco, Doug "Bix" Biederbeck, hires Neal Murray as a bartender where he makes his Cosmopolitan making the cocktail even more popular.

 

Balladeer and researcher Tayler Vrooman was fascinated with songs from the 1600s and 1700s and released his album Baroque Bacchanalian. On the album, there are songs about drinking with titles that include “Come Let Us Drink About,” “Good Claret,” “The Delights of the Bottle,” and “The Thirsty Toper.”

 

1986

Chef Paul Prudhomme invents the Cajun Martini in New Orleans.

 

TGI Friday’s makes a bartender video of company bartenders John “JB” Bandy, John Mescall, and “Magic” Mike Werner. Later in the year, the company holds the first flair bartending competition in Woodland Hills, California, and calls it Bar Olympics. John “JB” Bandy wins. Check out my Flair Bartending page.

 

Absolut launches their first flavored vodka, Absolut Peppar.

 

1987

After Touchstone Productions interviews thirty-four bartenders, they chose John “JB” Bandy to be the flair instructor for Tom Cruise and Bryan Brown for the 1988 film Cocktail.

 

In October, bartender Patrick “Paddy” Mitten brings the Cosmopolitan cocktail to NYC from San Francisco and begins serving it at the Life Café (343 E 10th Street B).

 

1988

Cocktail the film starring Tom Cruise as a bartender, ignites flair bartending around the world.

 

Absolut Citron, Bombay Sapphire, Gentleman Jack, and Guinness in cans are introduced.

Dale “King Cocktail” DeGroff begins a gourmet approach to cocktails at the Rainbow Room in New York City.

 

1989

Unaware of any other cocktail called a Cosmopolitan, Cheryl Cook creates the Miami Beach Cosmopolitan in March 1989.

 

Kathy Casey from Seattle, Washington, pioneers the bar chef movement.

 

The world’s longest bar is installed at the Beer Barrel Saloon in South Bass Island, Ohio.

The bar has 160 barstools and is 405’ and 10” long (that's 45’ and 10” longer than a football field).

 

1990

The first Portland, Oregon, fresh classic bar, Zefiro, opens.

 

1991

Gary Regan publishes The Bartender’s Bible.

Wild Turkey Rare Breed is introduced.

Charles Schumann publishes Schumann’s American Bar Book.

 

Chuck Rohm is the first cocktail related website on the Internet. He sells a VHS flair bartending video on his site bottlesup.com. See my First Websites page.

 

1992

Cocktail godfather Paul Harrington is recognized in San Francisco for making classic cocktails. See my Craft Cocktail Timeline page.

 

Absolut Kurrant, Johnnie Walker Gold, and Crown Royal Reserve are introduced.

 

1993

The first known cocktail recipe book to list the Cosmopolitan cocktail is The Complete Book of Mixed Drinks by Anthony Dias Blue. Blue credits Julie’s Supper Club in San Francisco for the recipe.

 

Straight Up or On the Rocks is published by William Grimes.

1994

Scotland celebrates 500 years of whisky production.

 

On Wednesday, November 16 in The Central New Jersey Home News (New Brunswick, New Jersey) the first known recipe for a Cosmopolitan is published in a newspaper. The recipe was contributed by Dale DeGroff.

 

1995

The first World Wide Web cocktail-related sites begin to be launched. View them all on my First Websites page.

Bacardi Limon rum is introduced.

Steve Olson begins teaching “Gin Cocktail Clinics” helping consumers make fresh and classic cocktails in their homes.

 

1996

Sammy Hagar’s Cabo Wabo Tequila and the first organic vodka, Rain, are introduced.

Paulius Nasvytis opens the classic cocktail bar the Velvet Tango Room in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Corona Limona becomes popular (a shot of Bacardi Limon rum in a Corona beer).

 

The film Swingers shows characters drinking classic cocktails and quality booze, which helps set the tone for the germinating craft cocktail movement.

 

1997

Quench, on the Food Network, brings cocktails to TV.

Simon Difford’s Class Magazine is launched.

Grey Goose vodka and Chopin vodka are introduced.

Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller publish Shaken Not Stirred: A Celebration of the Martini.

Gary Regan publishes New Classic Cocktails.

 

1998

Paul Harrington and Laura Moorhead publish the game-changing Cocktail: The Drinks Bible for the 21st Century.

 

On April 9, the first known Cosmopolitan cocktail is seen and mentioned on a television show was written into the show ER by Linda Gase. The season 4 episode 17 is called “A Bloody Mess.”

 

Patrick Sullivan opens B-Side Lounge, which is considered Boston’s first fresh classic cocktail bar.

 

Tony Abou-Ganim is hired to bring classic fresh cocktails to all twenty-three bars at Bellagio in Las Vegas.

 

The first known videogame to mention a cocktail is Metal Gear Solid when Nastasha Romanenko says that a Stinger is her favorite cocktail.

 

On July 19, season one, episode seven “The Monogamists,” the Cosmopolitan cocktail was first mentioned on the HBO show Sex and the City. The voice over of the character Carrie Bradshaw read: “That afternoon I dragged my poor, tortured soul out to lunch with Stanford Blach and attempted to stun it senseless with Cosmopolitans.” See my Cosmopolitan Cocktail History page.

 

1999

Smirnoff Ice, Absolut Mandarin, Van Gogh gin, Hendrick’s gin, and Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel are introduced.

 

Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant ran by Julio Bermejo in San Francisco becomes the number-one tequila bar in America.

 

David Wondrich begins to update the online version of Esquire’s 1949 Handbook for Hosts.

 

Ted A. Breaux becomes the first to analyze vintage absinthe using modern science, the results sparking a paradigm shift in our understanding of the infamous spirit.

 

Sasha Petraske opens Milk & Honey on New Year’s Eve in New York City.

 

In the second season of the HBO TV show Sex and the City, the Cosmopolitan becomes the new worldwide hottest cocktail due to being seen in ten episodes and verbally mentioned in three episodes. It pairs nicely with the flavored Martini craze and Martini bars found in all major cities that offered 200+ flavored Martinis on their menus.

 

2000s

The film Coyote Ugly shows scantily clad cowgirl bartenders slinging whiskey and dancing on the bar top.

 

Tanqueray 10, Alizé, Tequiza, Smirnoff Twist flavored vodkas, and Wild Turkey Russell’s Reserve is introduced.

 

The Beekman Arms of Rhinebeck in New York is the oldest continuously operating tavern in America.

 

2001

Hpnotiq plans to launch on September 11, but America is attacked, so the launch takes place months later.

 

Gary Regan begins conducting a series of two-day bartender workshops called Cocktails in the Country.

 

2002

After forty years, James Bond makes another cocktail popular around the world. Pierce Brosnan (Bond) holds a Mojito in Cuba and then hands it to an orange bikini-clad Halle Berry—overnight, it revives the classic Mojito and is still one of the most ordered cocktails in the world today. Bartenders are bombarded with drink requests and 99 percent of them do not have one mint leaf behind the bar.

 

Dekuyper Sour Apple Pucker is introduced.

 

Dale “King Cocktail” DeGroff publishes the book that officially kicks off the craft cocktail movement, The Craft of the Cocktail: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Master Bartender. See my Craft Cocktail Timeline page.

 

The Appletini becomes popular.

 

The first cocktail festival, Tales of the Cocktail is launched in New Orleans.

 

William Grimes publishes Straight Up or On the Rocks: The Story of the American Cocktail.

Jeff “Beachbum” Berry publishes Intoxica.

Kevin Brauch hosts the drinking travel series TV show The Thirsty Traveler.

The first known film to show and mention a Cosmopolitan cocktail is Juwanna Mann.

 

2003

Julie Reiner opens Flatiron Lounge, the first high-volume craft cocktail bar in New York City.

Colin Peter Field publishes The Cocktails of Ritz Paris.

 

Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett release the song  “It’s Five O’clock Somewhere,”

The chorus starts with, “Pour me somethin’ tall an’ strong, make it a Hurricane before I go insane.” The flair bartender in the music video is Rob Husted from flairbar.com.

 

Absolut vanilla and Blavod black vodka are introduced.

Gary Regan publishes The Joy of Mixology.

The first known song to mention a Cosmopolitan cocktail is “Cosmopolitans” written and performed by Erin McKeown.

 

2004

The Museum of the American Cocktail is founded in New Orleans by Dale and Jill DeGroff, Chris and Laura McMillian, Ted Haigh, Robert Hess, Phil Greene, and Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller.

 

Absolut Raspberri is introduced.

Ted Haigh publishes Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails.

The award-winning bar Employees Only opens in New York City.

Jeff “Beachbum” Berry publishes Taboo Table.

 

2005

Sasha Petraske opens Little Branch in New York City.

 

Captain Morgan Tattoo, Absolut Peach, Starbuck’s coffee liqueur, Barsol pisco, Cognac Toulouse-Lautrec X.O., Baileys Caramel, Baileys Chocolate Mint, and NAVAN

are introduced.

 

In September, University of Pennsylvania archaeochemist Patrick McGovern announces the discovery of 5,000-year-old Mesopotamian earthenware from the banks of the Tigris between Iran and Iraq that contain traces of honey, barley, tartaric acid, and apple juice. McGovern described this cocktail as “grog.”

 

Audrey Saunders opens Pegu Club in New York City.

Heavy Water vodka from Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown is introduced.

David Wondrich publishes Killer Cocktails.

 

2006

CMT airs a reality show called Inside the Real Coyote Ugly. Ten women are chosen out of one thousand to learn how to bartend Coyote Ugly–style.

 

Karen Foley publishes the award-winning drinks magazine Imbibe.

 

Oprah Winfrey and Rachael Ray make a Lemon Drop Martini and a Pomegranate Martini on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Bartenders all over America are asked for these cocktails.

 

The Jäger Bomb becomes popular.

 

Sasha Petraske, Christy Pope, and Chad Solomon start Cuffs & Buttons—a beverage consultant and catering company.

 

X-Rated Fusion, 10 Cane rum, Gran Patrón Platinum 100 percent Agave Tequila, Michael Collins Irish single malt, Rhum Clément V.S.O.P. rum, Rittenhouse 21, Skyy 90, Yamazaki 18, and Domaine Charbay Pomegranate vodka are introduced.

 

Jamie Boudreau opens the craft bar Vessel in Seattle, Washington.

Wayne Curtis publishes And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails.

Camper English pioneers “directional freezing” to make perfectly clear ice.

San Francisco Cocktail Week starts its first year.

 

Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller publish Mixologist: The Journal of the American Cocktail Vol. 1.

 

Dale “King Cocktail” DeGroff, Steven Olson, Doug Frost, Paul Pacult, David Wondrich, and Andy Seymour open Beverage Alcohol Resource (BAR) in New York City.

 

The bartenders of Absinthe Brassiere & Bar publish Art of the Bar.

 

Dave Kaplan and Alex Day open Death + Co. on New Year’s Eve in New York City.

2007

Lucid absinthe becomes the first wormwood absinthe allowed back into the United States after being banned for ninety-five years.

 

Sean Combs launches Ciroc vodka.

Tony Abou-Ganim publishes Modern Mixology.

The TV show Mad Men debuts and sparks a worldwide interest in classic cocktails.

 

Jim Meehan opens PDT in New York City, and the telephone booth entrance creates headlines.

 

Eric Seed brings crème de violette back into America after being unavailable for almost ninety years.

 

St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, Chivas Regal 25, Absolut New Orleans, Kubler absinthe, Appleton Estate Reserve, 360 vodka, Grey Goose Le Poire, and Tanqueray Rangspur are introduced.

 

Greg Boehm begins to reproduce and publish vintage cocktail books.

 

Don Lee invents fat washing by infusing bacon with Bourbon and creates the Benton’s Old-Fashioned at PDT in New York City.

 

Donald Trump introduces Trump vodka (and he does not drink).

 

Colin Kimball launches the Small Screen Network bringing professional online bartending videos to the cocktail community.

 

Derek Brown opens the first stand-alone craft cocktail bar in DC, the Gibson, with Eric Hilton, one of the founding members of Thievery Corporation.

 

CeeLo Green introduces Ty Ku Sake.

David Wondrich publishes the James Beard Award–winning Imbibe!

 

Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller publish Mixologist: The Journal of the American Cocktail Vol. 2.

 

Tobin Ellis is selected as the number-one bartender in America to compete against Bobby Flay in his TV show Throwdown! with Bobby Flay, making Ellis the first successful award-winning flair bartender to cross over to the craft cocktail world.

 

2008

The Sazerac becomes the official cocktail of New Orleans through Bill No. 6.

Julie Reiner opens Clover Club in Brooklyn, New York.

The Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull film debuts and Dan Aykroyd introduces Crystal Head vodka which comes in a glass skull head. Coincidence?

 

LXTV associated with NBC hosts a TV show sponsored by Absolut vodka titled On the Rocks: The Search for America's Top Bartender. The intro of the show says that there are more than 500,000 bartenders in America.

 

Sasha Petraske opens White Star absinthe bar in New York City.

Jeff “Beachbum” Berry publishes Sippin’ Safari.

Cocktail Kingdom is launched, selling high-quality master mixology bar tools.

Robert Hess publishes The Essential Bartender’s Guide.

 

Prairie organic vodka, Tru2 organic gin, Compass Box Hedonism Maximus Scotch, Cape North vodka, Jett vodka, Canadian Club 30, (ri)1 Kentucky Straight rye, Maestro Dobel Diamond tequila, Siembra Azul tequila, and 1800 Silver Select tequila are introduced.

 

Scott Beattie publishes Artisanal Cocktails.

Bridget Albert publishes Market Fresh Mixology.

 

Dale “King Cocktail” DeGroff publishes his second book, The Essential Cocktail.

Natalie Bovis publishes the first nonalcoholic craft mocktail book, Preggatinis: Mixology for the Mom-to-Be.

 

2009

The Ritz-Carlton launches a new global “Bar Experience” that features an edible bar menu with a fresh twist on solid and traditional cocktails.

 

Los Angeles’s first craft bar, the Varnish, opens with bartender Eric Alperin. One year later, Alperin teaches actor Ryan Gosling how to make an Old-Fashioned for the 2011 film Crazy, Stupid, Love which combined with the popularity of the Mad Men Old-Fashioned sparks a new interest for a new generation and becomes the number-one most ordered cocktail of the year.

 

The Mai Tai becomes the official cocktail of Oakland, California.

 

Justin Timberlake introduces 9:01 Tequila. He names it 9:01 because he says that is the time when things start happening at night.

 

Absolut airs a bartender mixology TV show special called On the Rocks.
Tobin Ellis starts the world’s first pop-up speakeasy series called Social Mixology.

Sasha Petraske opens Dutch Kills in Long Island City, New York.

 

Dry Fly vodka, Stolichnaya Elit vodka, Charbay tequila, Evan Williams single barrel, Beefeater 24, Appleton 30, Double Cross vodka, Bluecoat gin, Vieux Carré absinthe, Bulldog gin, Citadelle Reserve, and Fruitlab organic liqueurs are introduced.

 

Ted Haigh publishes the second edition of Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails: From the Alamagoozlum to the Zombie 100 Rediscovered Recipes and the Stories Behind Them.

 

Rap star Ludacris introduces Conjure Cognac.

 

On November 6—to celebrate their fifteenth anniversary—Consejo Regulador del Tequila wins a Guinness World Record for the largest display of tequila at Hospicio Cabañas, Guadalajara, Mexico. They display 1,201 bottles of tequila from all the states in Mexico.

 

 

2010s

 

2010

David Wondrich publishes Punch: The Delights (and Dangers) of the Flowing Bowl.

 

President Barack Obama and his wife went out for a “date night” to Havana, a Latino-inspired restaurant that serves some of the best Cuban drinks and food on the island and drank Grey Goose Martinis. 

 

Jeffrey Morgenthaler ages a barrel of Negronis and kick-starts the barrel-aged cocktail movement.

 

Moet-Hennessy put sleeves on all their products.

 

To celebrate the 200th anniversary of Frederic Chopin’s birth, Chopin Vodka unveiled a hand-blown, seven-foot tall, 200-liter glass bottle on the red carpet at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (2010). It’s the largest bottle of liquor ever to be produced.

 

The Manhattan Cocktail Classic hosted its 1st year.

 

Angostura Bitters Shortage rose due to changes in Angostura’s ownership, cash flow problems, and production stoppages.

 

Portland hosted its first Portland Cocktail Week.

 

There was a march for mezcal in Portland, OR.

 

Sagatiba Cachaça launched in Lebanon, China and Russia.

 

In honor of Frank Sinatra’s would be 95th birthday, Social Mixology served old-school Ketel One Martinis prepared by Anthony Alba and Tobin Ellis as well as a tasting of the limited Angelo Lucchesi bottling of Jack Daniel’s.

 

London hosted its first London Cocktail Week.

 

Kanon Vodka launched, “Jello Shots in Tow.”

 

Great Rum Debate took place on a boat between Oakland and San Francisco.

 

Darcy O’Neil publishes the award-winning book Fix the Pumps.

 

Cocktail Kingdom made it easy for non-residents of the Caribbean to buy actual swizzle sticks.

 

Chambord vodka, Zucca Amaro, Solerno blood orange liqueur, Maker’s 46, Evan Williams Cherry Reserve Kentucky, ZU Zubrowka Bison Grass vodka, Ransom Old Tom gin, Glenfiddich 40, Bacardi Reserva Limitada rum, Avión tequila, Dulce Vida tequila, Zwack Hungarian liqueur,  Eades Small Batch Speyside whisky, Conjure Cognac, Cognac Frapin Domaine Château de Fontpinot XO, Etude XO Alambic brandy, Galliano Ristretto, Bottega Sambuca d’Anice Stellato, Rökk vodka, Galliano L’Autentico, and Purity vodka are introduced.

 

Gläce Luxury Ice introduced their G3 (G-Cubed) 2” ice cubes. 

 

On January 8, in honor of Elvis’s would-be 75th birthday, Three-O Vodka put together cocktail recipes, Jailhouse on the Rocks, Blue Suede Shooters, All Shook Up, and The Hound Dog.

 

The Great Vodka Debate by the San Francisco USBG (United States Bartenders Guild) was the first of its kind.

 

Continental Airlines began offering Vodka Red Bull to their passengers.

 

Delta Airlines added new cocktails on their flights: Bourbon Breeze • Woodford Reserve Small Batch Bourbon, cranberry & apple juice, and a splash of orange juice with a lime wedge; Marseilles Manhattan • Bourbon, sweet vermouth, Angostura bitters, splash of Ricard, and brandied cherries; Tahitan Dream • Rhum J.M. Gold, Cointreau, orgeat syrup, fresh lime, and hibiscus sugar.

 

Virgin America Airlines offers these cocktails to their passengers: Pomegranate Martini, Mai Tai, and Margarita. All made with Stirrings mixers.

United Airlines offered their passengers a Sunrise Sunset made with Vodka, cranberry apple juice, a splash of orange juice, and a squeeze of lime They also offer a Mai Tai.

 

Zane Lamprey hosts an alcohol travel show, Three Sheets.

Tony Abou-Ganim publishes The Modern Mixologist.

 

New trends include slow cocktails (growing your own herbs at home and at the bar), barrel-aged cocktails, pre-Prohibition–style classic cocktails, cold maceration, molecular mixology, mezcal and tequila forward cocktails, punches, moonshine, genever, ginger beer, coconut water, almond milk, shrubs, honeycomb, gourmet bitters, organic products, quality vermouth, tiki bars, all types of ice, soda fountain equipment, siphons, Red Rover Bartenders (celebrity bartenders swapping/traveling to bartend at other bars), flair bartenders crossing over to mixology, spirit and cocktail classes, craft dive bars, cocktails on tap, regular bars with skilled bartenders and good drinks, food and cocktail pairings, and cocktail networking through social media.

 

Don Julio’s Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo bottles as well as their unique boxes debuted a new modernized, eye-catching design and a new logo that pays tribute to the brand’s namesake.

 

YouTuber turned Cooking Channel star—who also explores cocktails—hosts the TV show Nadia G’s Bitchin’ Kitchen.

 

Trader Vic’s offers a Mai Tai surfboard flight.

 

1000 bottles of Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix whisky were made available exclusively to members of the online club, Glenfiddich Explorers.

 

Medea Vodka from Holland is the first to release a bottle with a programmable LED display that can hold up to six different messages each with 255 characters.

 

The owners of the award-winning New York City bar Employees Only publish Speakeasy: The Employees Only Guide to Classic Cocktails Reimagined.

 

The Dry Martini Bar in Barcelona sells their one-millionth Martini on June 30. The cocktail bar has had a giant digital counter since 1978 that has been tracking the classic Martinis made with gin or vodka.

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Stolichnaya Vodka launched a new ad campaign called Would You Have a Drink With You? , which featured celebrities with Playboy magnate Hugh M. Hefner.

 

Tiffany & Co. created 73 silver cups for the Kentucky Derby for Mint Juleps to be served in. They sold $1,000 each.

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The AWOL machine was invented in the Uk and allowed to function in Australia for precisely one day (AWOL means Alcohol With Out Liquid: you inhale vaporized alcohol and get… vaporized).

 

2011

Ryan Gosling makes an Old-Fashioned in the film Crazy, Stupid, Love, which results in the cocktail being ordered more than ever.

 

The cocktail competition Speed Rack is launched by Lynnette Morrero and Ivy Mix. 

 

On March 30, TGI Friday’s in the UK celebrate their twenty-fifth anniversary by breaking a world record. They had the most people cocktail flairing simultaneously for two minutes. The event was held outdoors at the Covent Garden Piazza in London with 101 flair bartenders wearing all black-and-red-and-white-striped ties.

 

Bacardi Oakheart, Angel’s Envy bourbon, Johnnie Walker Double Black, Drambuie 15, St. George gin, Hakushu Japanese whisky, Pierre-Ferrand 1840, Brugal 1888, Art in the Age Rhuby, Bols Barrel-Aged Genever, Grand Marnier Quintessence, High West double rye, High West Silver OMG Pure rye, No. 3 London dry, Knob Creek single barrel, and Ron De Jeremy rum (named after the porn star) are introduced.

 

Jim Meehan publishes The PDT Cocktail Book: The Complete Bartender’s Guide from the Celebrated Speakeasy.

 

Colin Peter Field publishes Le Ritz Paris—Une Histoire de Cocktails, which has a preface written by celebrity Kate Moss.

 

On February 11, the New World Trading Company hosts the world’s largest gin-tasting event with 796 participants across nine venues in London.

 

Jamie Boudreau opens his award-winning bar, Canon in Seattle, Washington.

 

2012

Tony Conigliaro publishes the award-winning book Drinks.

Sammy Hagar introduces Sammy Hagar’s Beach Bar rum.

 

On July 13, Nick Nicora makes the world’s largest Margarita, taking the title away from Margaritaville in Las Vegas. Nicora makes it at the California State Fair; the drink is 10,499 gallons. It is made in a large cocktail shaker and sponsored by Jose Cuervo and Cointreau.

Ford’s gin, Templeton rye, High West Whiskey Campfire, L’Essence de Courvoisier, Western Son Texas vodka, Imbue Petal & Thorn vermouth, Amsterdam gin, Leopold Brothers Fernet, and Wahaka Madre Cuishe mezcal are introduced.

 

Philip Greene publishes To Have and Have Another: A Hemingway Cocktail Companion.

 

2013

Tony Conigliaro’s award-winning 2012 book, Drinks, is reprinted and titled The Cocktail Lab: Unveiling the Mysteries of Flavor and Aroma in Drink, with Recipes.

 

Kenny Chesney introduces Blue Chair Bay rum.

Amy Stewart publishes the award-winning book The Drunken Botanist

 

Jim Beam Devil’s Cut, Montelobos mezcal, Penny Blue XO rum, Art in the Age Snap, Four Roses Single Barrel 2013, Woody Creek Colorado vodka, Kirk and Sweeney rum, St. George Dry Rye Reposado gin, Papa’s Pilar blonde rum, Pow-Wow botanical rye, New Columbia Distillers Green Hat Distilled gin, and George T. Stagg 2013 are introduced.

 

Award-winning bartender Charles Joly introduces a line of bottled cocktails called Crafthouse Cocktails Southside.

Jeff “Beachbum” Berry publishes Beachbum Berry’s Potions of the Caribbean.

George Clooney introduces Casamigos Tequila.

 

Diageo hosts the world’s largest cocktail-making class on September 18 in Barcelona with 1774 participants. It was run by global ambassador Kenji Jesse.

 

After sixteen years, Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown publish the second edition of Shaken Not Stirred: A Celebration of the Martini.

 

2014

Kate Gerwin becomes the first winner to be crowned Bols Bartending World Champion.

 

Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails is published by Dave Kaplan and Nick Fauchald.

Ancho Reyes Chile liqueur, Mister Katz rock and rye, Green Spot Irish whiskey, Sapling Maple Bourbon, Roca Patron Anejo tequila, Anchor Old Tom gin, St. George California Reserve Agricole rum, High West A Midwinter Night’s Dram, A Smith Bowman Abraham Bowman Bourbon, Elijah Craig 23, and Tanqueray Old Tom gin are introduced.

 

The Smithsonian TV show The United States of Drinking is hosted by award-winning food writer Josh Ozersky.

 

On April 27, the 4-Jack’s Bar and Bistro in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, makes the world's largest Mojito with the Dominican rum Punta Cana. It takes forty people one hour and thirty-five minutes and contains 185 gallons of rum.

 

Jeffrey Morgenthaler publishes The Bar Book: Elements of Cocktail Technique.

The Savoy celebrates its 125th birthday on August 6.

 

In March, bartender Sheldon Wiley becomes the world’s fastest bartender by breaking the Guinness World Record for making the most cocktails in one hour. It is sponsored by Stoli vodka and the official rules are: each cocktail requires a minimum of three ingredients and no cocktail can be duplicated. He makes 1905 cocktails. The event is held at New York’s Bounce Sporting Club.

 

2015

Salvatore “The Maestro” Calabrese publishes the second edition of Classic Cocktails.

Cocktails & Classics is hosted by Michael Urie and celebrity friends who watch and critique classic films while sipping cocktails.

 

David Wondrich publishes the second edition of Imbibe! Updated and Revised Edition: From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to “Professor” Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar.

 

Crown Royal rye, Amaro di Angostura, La Caravedo pisco, Tanqueray Bloomsbury, Cynar 70, Encanto pisco, Rieger & Co. Midwestern Dry gin, Rieger & Co. Kansas City whiskey, Highspire pure rye, Grey Goose VX, Sipsmith gin, Redemption Rye Barrel Proof, Stiggins Plantation pineapple rum, Fernet Francisco, Caña Brava rum, Balsam American Amaro, Mr. Lyan Bottled Cocktails, Bacardi tangerine rum, Portobello gin, and Small Hand Foods Yeoman tonic syrups are introduced.

 

The owners of the award-winning New York City bar Dead Rabbit publish The Dead Rabbit Drinks Manual: Secret Recipes and Barroom Tales from Two Belfast Boys Who Conquered the Cocktail World.

 

Philip Greene publishes an updated version of To Have and Have Another: A Hemingway Cocktail Companion.

 

Chris McMillian and his wife, Laura open their first bar, Revel Café & Bar in New Orleans.

 

2016

Jamie Boudreau, the owner of the award-winning Seattle bar Canon, publishes The Canon Cocktail Book: Recipes from the Award-Winning Bar.

 

Jack Daniel’s 150th Anniversary; Three Olives pink grapefruit, pineapple, and pear vodka; Cockspur old gold rum; Life of Reilley Disco Lemonade; Clayton Bourbon; Bird Dog chocolate whiskey; Old Home maple whiskey; Don Q 151 rum; Jameson Cooper’s Croze; Mount Gay XO; Brooklyn gin; Crown Royal honey; Yukon Jack Wicked Hot; E. J. peach brandy; Pau Maui pineapple vodka; Uncle Bob’s root beer whiskey, Laphroig 15, and Jack Daniel’s single barrel rye are introduced.

 

Robert Simonson publishes A Proper Drink.

 

Owners of the award-winning San Francisco bar Smuggler's Cove, Martin and Rebecca Cate, publish Smuggler’s Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki.

 

Billy Gibbons from the band ZZ Top introduces Pura Vida tequila.

 

Chris McMillian and Elizabeth M. Williams publish Lift Your Spirits: A Celebratory History of Cocktail Culture in New Orleans.

 

Sasha Petraske’s Regarding Cocktails is published by his widow, Georgette.

 

The Cocktail World Today—and Beyond

Between 2000 and 2010, the craft cocktail movement was in its infancy stage. Bar owners replicated the décor, style, fashion, and ambiance from either of two—significant—previous cocktail time periods: the first golden age of cocktails (1860–1919) or American Prohibition (1920–1933). Around 2010, bar owners had a light bulb moment and thought, “Hey! I don’t have to look like a 1800s saloon or a speakeasy to produce fresh quality cocktails because that’s the way cocktails should be made anyway.” That self-realization (the message pioneers were trying to communicate all along) was the spark needed for millennials to create fresh cocktails for all other types of bars. In 2005, there were only around thirty fresh craft bars in all of America, and in 2018, there are over 500. The craft cocktail pioneers should be very proud of this achievement.

 

What does the crystal ice ball predict for the future toddler, teenage, and adult stages of the second golden age of cocktails? Will robots replace bartenders? Will future bartenders become eco-conscious exploring ways to recycle the massive amounts of straws, cups, pics, and bottles dumped in landfills every day? Can bartenders cease stoking the embers of their wannabe-famous egos and simply live balanced lives, be good at their jobs, and understand the bottom line of hospitality? Will bars with fresh crafted cocktails be commonplace for the masses? Will tipping stop? Well, as for robots, probably not, because humans are social beings. Even high-tech futuristic fantasy shows such as Star Trek, which has the technological advances to build robot bartenders, choose not to. As millennials take over the cocktail wheel, it is safe to assume that they will follow their bartender ancestors’ example—and boldly go where no one has gone before.