Cocktails, Spirits, and History

In this fascinating conversation with author and historian Cecelia Tichi, some of the topics we discuss include:

• What the Gilded Age is, and why this time period was so important, not only for cocktail culture, but also in laying the groundwork for the seismic events that would follow in the early 20th century
• How Gilded Age Cocktails was conceived - and (spoiler alert), it may have happened over the course of a few drinks.
• We talk about the equine origins of the word “cocktail” and its interesting ties to concepts like genetic pedigree and mongrel or mixed components.
• We consider the influence of universities, private clubs, and trans-Atlantic travel on the spread and cross-pollination of cocktail styles and recipes across continents.
• We explore what the Gilded Age has in common with today’s world of social media and rapid tech innovation,
• We admire the wardrobe and style of the original cocktail influencer, Jerry Thomas
• And much, much more

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