In this time-traveling, globetrotting conversation with Amanda Schuster, author of Signature Cocktails, some of the topics we discuss include:
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How Amanda went about sourcing 200 signature recipes from all corners of the globe and spanning over 500 years of history.
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What distinguishes signature cocktails from their more generic counterparts like Old Fashioneds, Manhattans, and Martinis - specifically, the roles of people, places, and events.
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An examination of certain important historical trends, from milk punches, to private clubs, to luxury travel, all of which yielded cohorts of era-defining signature cocktails we still enjoy today.
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The importance of menu attribution in spreading contemporary signature cocktail recipes across the digital and physical world.
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And tips for designing a signature cocktail for your own bar or home cocktail lounge.
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Along the way, we explore the bedeviling properties of chocolate and gin, when a Margarita isn't a Margarita, how to defeat an invading army by spiking the drinking well with whiskey, and much, much more.