Drink History Galore At Museum of the Cocktail
Exhibits, Seminars and More At New Orleans and New York Locations
Aug 20, 2008
The museums contain a mind-boggling collection of rare spirits, books, Prohibition-era literature and music, as well as vintage cocktail shakers, glassware, tools, gadgets and all manner of cocktail memorabilia and photographs from the outstanding collections of its founders and patrons.
New Exhibit Has Virtual Component
The New Orleans museum’s exhibit opened in July 2008. It can be toured online at the museum’s website. The website also sells a variety of books about cocktails, including reprints of some of the oldest publications for bartenders and cocktail devotees.
The museum features multimedia presentations that bring cocktail history to life with film clips, interactive displays, sounds and songs. It also undertakes research projects, puts out publications for its members and promotes responsible drinking.
New Orleans Museum Has New Post Hurricane Home
In New Orleans, the museum is part of the post Hurricane Katrina new look. You can find it in the Southern Food & Beverage Museum at the Riverwalk Marketplace.
The events schedule at the New Orleans museum includes a Nov. 3 seminar led by Dale DeGroff , whose topic is "The Essential Cocktail: Classic Favorites, New Ingredients, Modern Techniques." Tony Abou-Ganim will discuss “Classic Holiday Tipples” Dec. 1 and the Jan. 12, 2009 program is billed as “Cocktails with Bobby Gleason.”
Cocktail Museum Has New York Outpost
The museum’s New York outpost is at the Balance, a watering hole in the city’s Chelsea neighborhood. The walls display old cocktail shakers and recipe books from the museum’s collection..
It’s name comes from the Balance and Columbian Repository, a Hudson, NY publication credited with giving the first definition of the cocktail in its May 13, 1806 edition.
Not all events are held at the museum. Next on the calendar is a seminar on how to make exotic cocktails, being held at 6 p.m. Sept. 9, 2008 at the Mie N Yu Restaurant in Washington.
Phil Greene and Derek Brown of the Museum of the American Cocktail guide this trek into the world of exotic cocktails, starting with a brief history of exotic ingredients in cocktails and how bartenders have used those ingredients historically. They cover ground from Indian-inspired-punches to Pacific Rim or "Tiki" cocktails. Mixologists Chris Kelley of Mie N Yu and Tom Brown of Cork will demonstrate some contemporary approaches to making "exotic" cocktails. Chef Tim Elliot will provide light fare and participants will get to try several "exotic" cocktails.
SOURCES: The Museum of the American Cocktail; "For Summer, Cocktails Get Freshened Up," by Nick Passmore, July 2, 2008, Business Week.
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