Often art history includes the study of "cultural history" and in the US, the history of the cocktail can't be overlooked. The Museum of the American Cocktail (MAC) feels this way too as they are hosting an exhibit in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the cocktail now until the end of the year at The Balance, a space above a club called The Nest, at 215 W. 28th St. at Eighth Avenue in Manhattan, New York.
This show focuses on the history of the cocktail prior to prohibition. According to Sylvia Carter's article from Newsday.com, "The cocktail, which initially was not a genre of drink but another name for what became known as an old-fashioned, was first mentioned in print in 1803, but it was not until May 13, 1806, that it was defined. In response to a mention of the word in the May 6 issue of The Balance and Columbia Repository in Hudson, a reader wrote in to inquire what on earth a cocktail was. The next week, the paper's editor wrote that it was composed of spirits, bitters, sugar and enough water to dissolve the sugar, and that the potent concoction was useful for "electioneering" - persuading people to vote in favor of the party that bought the drink."
The Museum of the American Cocktail™ is a nonprofit organization providing education in mixology and preserving the rich history of the American cocktail. View over two hundred years of cocktail history including vintage cocktail shakers, Prohibition-era books, drink archives, tools, and other cocktail memorabilia from the outstanding collections of the museum founders.
Link: Raising a glass to the cocktail -- Newsday.com by Sylvia Carter.
Link: For Show Details: www.MuseumoftheAmericanCocktail.org
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