Category: history
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Paloma History – Tracing the Facts and Fiction about this Tequila Cocktail’s History
Tracing the facts and fiction about the history and origin of the Paloma, a cocktail made with tequila, lime, grapefruit soda, and a pinch of salt.
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The Impact of Phylloxera on Absinthe
If absinthe was made with a distilled wine base, why did the wine industry lobby to have it banned? Notes from a discussion about the impact of the vine infestation phylloxera on absinthe in the late 1800s.
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Phylloxera, Gin, and Scotch Whisky
An interesting find in an old book concerning phylloxera and scotch whisky.
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Summer Cooler Cocktails to Enjoy in 1967
An interesting selection of summer cocktails from a 1967 calendar.
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Popular Scotch Cocktails of 1967
A vintage calendar from 1967 reveals cocktails made with scotch from that era.
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San Francisco’s Second-Oldest Drinking Spot
The bar Elixir was recognized this weekend as being the second oldest (known) drinking location in San Francisco by the wacky historical/drinking club E. Clampus Vitus (aka The Clampers).
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(Almost) All the Cocktails & Spirits Books Published in 2015, For Reading or Gifting
My annual list of most all of the cocktails and spirits books that have been released. This year we see tons of whiskey books again, and a whole segment of bar-specific cocktail books and a new category of narrative cocktail history.
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How Drinking in 1948 was like Drinking in College, or in 2005
A post-WWII quote reminds me of drinking in 2005.
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Vermouth: History and Legal Regulations
A ton of information about the history of vermouth (both sweet and dry kind of come from the same place) and its legal definitions in the European Union.
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Peru, Bird Poop, and the Birth of the Agro-Industrial Complex
Peru is an exciting country for drink nerds like me, as it is the birthplace of the potato, pisco, and the cinchona tree that produces quinine for tonic water. I didn’t realize until recently that it was also the birthplace of the international guano industry, perhaps the world’s first exported industrial fertilizer.