10 Points of Interest - History of...

1. The glamour and sophistication that was associated with cocktails in their golden era is intriguing and interesting, because I feel like back in that time it was much more of an event and a chance for social climbing to be seen in a bar, especially when they became incredibly cool to drink.
2. Jerry Thomas - The first published author of a Mixology book was known as the Godfather of the cocktail, and introduced cocktails to a larger market around the time they were becoming increasingly popular in America. His book includes numerous cocktail recipes and also tips on how to properly prepare cocktail ingredients and equipment. It is an extensive guide and one that is still referenced by quality bar tenders everywhere. 
3. Prohibition is one of the largest points of interest in both cocktail history and the history of alcohol. The temperance era leading up to prohibition is interesting because of the way church and school leaders tried to indoctrinate children against it, whilst the actual introduction of prohibition is so interesting because of the irony involved in the era. The argument against alcohol, the high crime rate of America, not only didn't decline, in fact it rose.
4. Organised crime associated with the prohibition era is a great point of interest to me, as it really had it's beginnings in the production of illegal alcohol. The 'bootleg' alcohol they distilled had all kind of nasties in, including ethanol, which led to lots of drinkers going blind or being poisoned. The organised crime of the prohibition era left 800 Chicago gangsters dead thanks to the violence that spread between gangs. 
5. Speakeasy bars - One of the most infamous and integral parts of the Prohibiton era was the opening of 1,000s of Speakeasy bars. What I found interesting was the way they disguised the bars as things like sweet shops, pet shops, anything that would throw people off the scent. There were 1000s opened over the space of the prohibition, and when one got closed, another got opened. I also find the glamour and secrecy to be of great interest. 
6. The cocktail as a morning/medicinal beverage. In its beginnings, the cocktail was used to help the drinker get over whatever they had had the previous night, and bitters were used as a form of medicine. I can't decide whether this type of cocktail drinkers were incredibly glamorous or just massive wasters, but it's intriguing none the less.
7. The classic cocktail recipes I have found are all of interest to me because they are iconic, and found in every bar across the globe. The histories behind these cocktails are often ellusive, which made them all the more interesting to attempt to research. I also find it amazing how these drinks come to be so famous and renowned internationally. 
8. The famous bartenders and writers  I have found are interesting to me because they have quite glamorous stories and lives that mix with the glamour of american bar tending from the golden era of cocktails. David Embury is of interest because he wrote an incredibly famous book with no formal bar tending knowledge, only a keen amateur passion for the cocktail, which then translated into a fantastic book that is still referenced today. Harry Johnson, Charley Mahoney and Harry Craddock are other names that have glamorous and interesting stories. 
9. Learning about the processes behind some of the ingredients that go into cocktails, such as tequila, rum, gin and whiskey was really cool to look into as it gives you more of an informed knowledge about the actual flavours that go into the cocktails. With the way people drink nowadays it would seem that noone really cares about the processes and the months of hard work that go into creating quality alcohol, but I find it really interesting. 
10. I found a book in Waterstones called Vintage Spirits and The forgotten Cocktails, which was really interesting as it included some old cocktails that are now incredibly rare or no longer exist. Some of the cocktail recipes have great histories, and must taken ages to source. It also contains interesting information on vintage spirits and some ingredients that no now longer exist.