Modern Classic Cocktails, my sixth book about cocktails and cocktail culture, will be released tomorrow, October 4. It took about a year to write and edit, but the text is really seven years in the making, beginning with my work and research on “Modern Classics of the Cocktail Renaissance,” a cocktail app I created with Martin Doudoroff. And the subject the book covers is one I’ve been following since I first began writing about cocktails in 2006.
The anatomy of a modern classic cocktail has always been fascinating to me and I’ve tracked the trajectories of each of these drinks for many years. I was lucky enough to begin my work on the cocktail beat at a time when a confluence of circumstances all came together; circumstances that made modern classic cocktails possible—the arrival of dedicated cocktail bars that encouraged creativity; a new generation of cocktail bartenders armed with historical knowledge of mixed drinks; the availability of once lost or forgotten spirits; and the rise of the Internet, allowing for the instantaneous sharing of information. A few drinks in the book come from the time before I began writing about cocktails, but most are from the most fecund period of new cocktail creation in recent history, roughly the late aughts to the early 2010s.
You don’t always know you’re looking at a future modern classic cocktail the first time you order one. And, once you do become aware that such a drink has made the grade, it’s not always possible to go back and have that cocktail at the place where it was created, or made by the person who invented it. Bars close and bartenders move on.
I never had a Revolver at Bruno’s, where it was invented in 2004, or at Bourbon & Branch, where it became popular. Instead, I caught up with it at The Prizefighter, a cocktail bar in Emeryville, CA, that the drink’s creator, Jon Santer, opened years later. The Chartreuse Swizzle, invented by Marcovaldo Dionysos, never really had a home, because the drink was invented for a cocktail competition. I first tried the drink at Smuggler’s Cove, a San Francisco tiki bar. I went there specifically to order one because I knew Dionysos worked there.
I’ve never met anyone who had a Cosmopolitan at The Odeon, the Manhattan restaurant, during the time when Toby Cecchini created the viral cocktail way back in 1988. The only place where I’ve had one mixed up by Cecchini himself is at his Brooklyn bar, Long Island Bar. Italian bartender Vincenzo Errico was long gone from New York by the time I learned of the Red Hook, the influential Manhattan variation he created in 2003. I had to travel to the Italian bartender’s bar on the island of Ischia, L’Arte Fatto, to sample a Red Hook made by Errico himself.
The Tommy’s Margarita is a rare example of my having had a modern classic at the hands of its inventor at the place where it was invented. I’ve enjoyed the famous drink on at least two occasions at Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco, where it was created, made by owner Julie Bermejo, the drink’s author. But such opportunities are, at this point, unicorns.
A few of the drinks in the book, however, were photographed by photographer Lizzie Munro at the bars where they were either created or became popular. I originally wanted all the cocktails to be photographed at their origin bars. This ambitious plan included a trip to The Violet Hour in Chicago, the home of several of the drinks in the book; and trips to San Francisco and New Orleans. But that dream was just not possible, not only because time and financials did not permit such a goal, but because the bars that had produced some of the cocktails had disappeared, including Flatiron Lounge, Pegu Club, and Clyde Common.
Still, we did manage to photograph several cocktails in their homes: the Gin Blossom and The Slope at Clover Club; Oaxaca Old-Fashioned, Naked and Famous and Kingston Negroni at Death & Co.; Tia Mia at Leyenda; Benton’s Old-Fashioned and Mezcal Mule at PDT; Red Hook, Penicillin, Paper Plane, Gold Rush and Greenpoint at Attaboy, which was formerly Milk & Honey. My humble thanks goes out to the owners of those bars, and the bartenders who fashioned the drinks for the photo shoots.
If you’re curious about how a cocktail becomes a modern classic, I get into that in the introduction of the book. And if you’re wondering about the story behind your favorite modern classic, those histories are in there, too, in almost every case learned directly from the drink’s creators themselves.
But, to kick of the launch week of the book, I am here to field any questions about modern classic cocktail that you might have right now. Just post the question in the comments section and I’ll answer it as best as I can.
On Friday, I’ll embark on a book tour in support of Modern Classic Cocktails, beginning with a west coast leg that includes stops in Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles. All the tour dates are listed below, with links for more information. If you’re in the area, I’d love to see you. For updates to the tour schedule, consult robertsimonson.net.
“Modern Classic Cocktails” Book Tour Dates
Oct. 3 (Mon)
New York, NY
Porchlight, 271 11th Ave, New York, NY 10001
6:00 PM EDT
Oct. 7 (Fri)
Seattle, WA
Book Larder, 4252 Fremont Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
6:30 PM PDT
Oct. 8 (Sat)
San Francisco, CA
Omnivore Books on Food, 3885 Cesar Chavez St, San Francisco, CA 94131
3:00 PM PDT
Oct. 9 (Sun)
Los Angeles, CA
Now Serving L.A. 727 N Broadway #133, Los Angeles, CA 90012
5:30 PM PDT
Oct. 20 (Thu)
Newport, RI
Lizzy Young Bookseller, 73 Pelham St, Newport, RI 02840
5:00 PM EDT
Oct. 22 (Sat)
Bolton Landing, NY
The Gem, 4983 Lake Shore Dr, Bolton Landing, NY 12814
2:00 PM EDT
Oct. 23 (Sun)
Kingston, NY
Rough Draft Bar & Books, 82 John St, Kingston, NY 12401
1:00 PM EDT
Nov. 5 (Sat)
Boston, MA
The Boston Shaker, 69 Holland St, Somerville, MA 02144
4:00 PM EDT
Nov. 12 (Sat)
Lorain, OH
Speak of the Devil, 201 W 5th St, Lorain, OH 44052
5:00 PM EST
Nov. 19 (Sat)
Milwaukee, WI
Bryant's Cocktail Lounge, 1579 S 9th St, Milwaukee, WI 53204
5:00 PM CST
Dec. 3 (Sat)
Larchmont, NY
Larchmont Public Library, 121 Larchmont Avenue, Larchmont, NY
4:00 PM EST
Dec. 12-14 (Mon-Wed)
Valledolid, Spain
FIBAR cocktail convention
Time TBD
Odds and Ends…
MixCo, a popular cocktail bar in Tulsa, OK, closed its doors on Sept. 30 after eight years in business… Rosewood Miramar Beach has launched a “Co-Author Cocktail Series” featuring some of North America’s top bar talent. As The Manor Bar’s new cocktail menu celebrates women in literature, the guest series will feature some of the continent’s most esteemed female spirits professionals making appearances behind the bar. Upcoming “co-authors” include Alba Huerta (Oct. 7) and Julie Reiner (Jan. 16)… Jackson Cannon, the Boston bartender and bar owner, wrote some touching words about his mentor, the late Brother Cleve… The rapid rise of Mr. Black, the Australian coffee liqueur, continues. Diageo has acquired the brand for an undisclosed amount. The company was founded in 2013 by designer Tom Baker and distiller Philip Moore. In the past few years, it has become ubiquitous in the United States. Diageo acquired a minority stake in the group in 2015… Kentucky Owl Takumi Edition Bourbon Whiskey, the second limited edition release from Kentucky Owl this year, is on the market. It is a collaboration between Master Blenders John Rhea (Kentucky Owl) and Yusuke Yahisa (Nagahama Distillery). The Takumi Edition Bourbon is a blend of 4-, 5-, 6- and 13-year-old Kentucky straight bourbons with mash bills containing corn, rye or wheat, and malted barley. It’s very good… Like Christmas-themed pop-up bars? How about Halloween? Black Lagoon, an immersive Halloween pop-up bar, will debut in nine cities across North America this October. In New York City, Our Wicked Lady will be the host bar… Chef Dominique Crenn (of Atelier Crenn in San Francisco) will be coming to New York City to host a dinner at NYY Steak on October 7 in support of the American Cancer Society (ACS). Chef Crenn is a breast cancer survivor and will be working in collaboration with Executive Chef Oscar Gonzalez of NYY Steak to serve a five-course dinner with wine pairings. Tickets are $500 (plus tax and gratuity), and all proceeds from ticket sales will benefit ACS. See a link to purchase tickets here.
Can't wait to read this!
I love the book for the stories behind the drinks. It was my weekend read after receiving it Saturday! Great writing and photography.