Pink Gin - Vintage Cocktail Lounge

There is talk of the new mixology movement in this country. Something that happens when you have gastronomes applying their science to the cocktails, and beautiful, delicious creations are made. Laws have be loosened, Absinthe is legal to sell again, craft distilleries are opening up everywhere, and the Martini glass is starting to return to a reasonable size.

While the drinks are finally seeing the care and appreciation they deserve, there must be effort to acknowledge that such things are a creation of individuals, and such creations as the American Bartender are the result of a prior confluence of industries over a hundred years ago. They were more than just mixers of drinks, or hosts of an establishment. They were sights to be seen, people who enabled the upcoming middle class their own level of service and attention that were only available to the previous generations established wealthy classes. They provided the banter, sports scores and social hub for the network of customers who frequented their businesses.

While I love the creation of craft cocktails, I enjoy even more the company of a good bartender who has some new information, fact, or topic of discussion. Part of this blog project will be about finding the bartenders who share this sentiment, and discussing what it is about the craft that they find so interesting. I have a suspicion that in their company, the drinks will be excellent, regardless of their gastronomic intentions. In short, I am looking for our modern Jerry P. Thomas’s and Don the Beach-chombers.