Category: History
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Bottle Speculating in the World of American Whiskey
Bottle Speculating in the World of American Whiskey In the early 2000s, I read an article claiming that wine was outperforming the stock market for a niche group of bottle collectors. At the time, investing in wine was a fringe investment strategy. Fast forward to today, and it has become an accepted and proven “alternative… Read more
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Cocktails and the AI-Revolution
Like many people, I’ve watched the capabilities of AI unfold with wonderment. I’ve been a fan but only to the point of amusement. Chat GPT can write a long epic poem in perfect iambic pentameter, it can write up legal contracts and it can create new cocktail recipes. Bars have already ventured into featuring AI-created… Read more
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Why Do We Call it Bourbon?
Why We Call it Bourbon: In my last article, I proposed that no individual invented bourbon whiskey but rather that a confluence of factors led to its natural development. Even though I advocated that bourbon whiskey evolved across the Western half of the Ohio River Valley–not just within Kentucky–I believe the name likely originated from… Read more
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Who Invented Bourbon?
Who invented bourbon? Was It even invented in Kentucky?” The history of bourbon is shrouded in mystery. There are many myths and educated theories regarding its origin. Authoritative bourbon historians tend to agree that Elijah Craig didn’t invent it. But before we dive into the topic, we must first decide what it is and what’s… Read more
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The Origin of Cocktails and the Glorious Medicine Show!
We are deceived if we believe the cocktail is no longer medicinal. It might not cure typhoid, rheumatism, or nervous fever, but it’s a potion for the mind. Alcohol, when given the right environment, blurs the boundaries of imagination, and sometimes, such transformational power is a potent medicine. The soul, after all, is found in… Read more
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The Master Cocktails and the Theory of Mixology
How do bartenders come up with new drinks? While it’s entirely possible to mix random ingredients and come up with something good, there is a theory behind the art of mixology. Nearly every cocktail fits a basic template: a master cocktail. Want to make a new cocktail? Start with a master cocktail and start swamping… Read more
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Another Old-Fashioned Controversy: What About That Muddled Sugar Cube?
Based on a review of vintage recipes, the “old-fashioned” historically referred to a specific way of making the now defunct-in-name “whiskey cocktail,” as there was a time when cocktail books had recipes for both the old-fashioned and the whiskey cocktail. They were essentially the same drink, except the whiskey cocktail was sweetened with gomme syrup… Read more
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Cherried, Not Cherried: An Old-Fashioned Controversy
A dirty martini might not be a classic martini but it is still a species of martini…so the time has come that we recognize the dirty old-fashioned (one with cherry and maybe an orange slice, muddled or not). But let’s be clear, such is a dirty old-fashioned and not a classic old-fashioned. I used to work with… Read more