The Museum of the American Cocktail is a nonprofit organization

Nonprofit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

 dedicated to education in mixology and preserving the rich history of the American cocktail

Cocktail

A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink that contains two or more ingredients—at least one of the ingredients must be a spirit.Cocktails were originally a mixture of spirits, sugar, water, and bitters. The word has come to mean almost any mixed drink that contains alcohol...

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Overview

The Museum of the American Cocktail was founded in October 2004 by renowned mixologists, spirits experts, and food and drink writers. The current Board of Directors include Dale DeGroff

Dale DeGroff

Dale DeGroff, aka King Cocktail is a master mixologist who developed his techniques tending bar at many establishments, most notably, New York’s Rainbow Room, where in the late 1980s he pioneered a gourmet approach to recreating the great classic cocktails.DeGroff is the founder and president of...

 (president), Jill DeGroff (vice president), Robert Hess (secretary), Ted Haigh (curator; aka “Dr. Cocktail”), Phil Greene (treasurer), Tim McNally, Brenda Maitland, Ti Martin, Chris McMillian, and Laura McMillian.

In January 2005, the Museum of the American Cocktail opened an exhibit in New Orleans, at the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum. After Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...

, the Museum moved its collection to Commander's Palace

Commander's Palace

-History:It was built in 1880. It is located in the Garden District of Uptown New Orleans , and is owned by the Brennan family. It has long been one of the best regarded upscale restaurants in the city. Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse are two of its most famous alumni who have worked in its...

, Las Vegas

Las Vegas Strip

The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...

, where the collection was on display until November 2006. The exhibit, curated by Ted Haigh, included rare books, Prohibition-era literature and music, vintage cocktail shakers, glassware, tools, gadgets, memorabilia, and photographs from the collections of the founders.

While searching for a permanent exhibition space to house its collection, the Museum of the American Cocktail produces temporary exhibits and events, and publishes a website, a monthly newsletter, and an annual journal titled Mixologist. In May 2006, the Museum published The Museum of the American Cocktail Pocket Recipe Guide, a pocket-sized book of cocktail tips, techniques and 100 classic recipes.

Return to New Orleans

The Museum returned to New Orleans location on July 16, 2008. The new location is located in the Southern Food and Beverage Museum

Southern Food and Beverage Museum

The Southern Food and Beverage Museum is a non-profit museum based in New Orleans, Louisiana with a mission to explore the culinary history of the American Southern states, to explain the roots of Southern food and drinks...

 in the Riverwalk Marketplace

Riverwalk Marketplace

Riverwalk Marketplace is a mall located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. The mall is located along the Mississippi River waterfront stretching from the base of Canal Street upriver to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center...

 along the riverfront. The newly opened Museum showcases a collection of rare spirits and books including Prohibition-era

Prohibition in the United States

Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...

 literature. There will also be antique cocktail shaker

Cocktail shaker

A cocktail shaker is a device used to mix beverages by shaking. When ice is put in the shaker this allows for a quicker cooling of the drink before serving....

s, glassware, recorded music, graphics, paper ephemera, fabrics, bartending tools, and examples of the cocktail's impact on broader historical trends. The Museum will feature tastings associated with specific events and seminars, but will not, itself, be a bar

Bar (establishment)

A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...

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The Olives

In association with the United States Bartenders Guild, the Museum of the American Cocktail annually presents the American Cocktail Awards (the "Olives"). Awards are given to establishments and individuals for individual pre-dinner cocktail recipes and execution, and overall cocktail list development.

The First Annual American Cocktail Awards were held on May 13, 2006, in New York City, and at Commander's Palace, Las Vegas. The winning cocktail was "The Wet Spot" by Will Shine and Aisha Sharpe, head bartenders at B.E.D. New York in New York City.

External links

• museumoftheamericancocktail.org - official museum website