Drink History

History of the Cocktail & Sazerac (with Estelle Bossy)

Listen Later

What was the first cocktail? Where did the name come from?  There has been much speculation about these questions over the centuries. In our first episode, we talk to Estelle Bossy (@theladybossy) about the history of the cocktail, the Sazerac and its amazing PR agent, and the through line between folk lore and modern day cocktails. 

Estelle Bossy is a full-time as a mixologist, sommelier and educator, creating cocktail programs, producing video content, and teaching a diverse range of audiences, both in-person and on-line. You can find her online classes at theladybossy.com

Drink History is hosted by Alexa Wilkinson & Mia Fio Rito. 

Go to drinkhistorypodcast.com to learn more about upcoming episodes and cocktail recipes... and don't forget to smash that subscribe button!


**Corrections: via Estelle Bossy

  • Privateer Francis Drake was incorrectly dated as having been from the 1600's. He was from the 1500's
  • The first printed use of the word cocktail referring to a beverage occurred in 1803 in The Farmer’s Cabinet, and it was in 1806 that an editor of The Balance and Columbian Repository defined a cocktail as a combination of spirits, sugar, water and bitters.
  • Billy Wilkinson (one of the two head bartenders of the Sazerac in the late 1800s) was credited as the creator of the Sazerac cocktail in a 1902 edition of The Picayune.


    • We couldn't do this without the help of:

    David Wondrich - Author of Imbibe!, Punch, & Killer Cocktails

    Diana Pittet - adjunct professor of alcohol history at NYU and the co-founder of Night Owl Hospitality, a cocktail-catering and spirit-education company that is all about elevating your drink experience at home and on-line.

    And listeners like you!


    ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store
    Drink HistoryBy Alexa Wilkinson
    • 5
    • 5
    • 5
    • 5
    • 5

    5

    11 ratings