Three ingredients. Equal parts. More than a century of cocktail history.

This week on Into The Barchive, hosts Tim Wright and Dr. Blake Jones explore one of the most recognizable cocktails in the world: the Negroni.

Building on their previous episode about the Milano-Torino and Americano, the guys trace the Negroni's evolution from a simple Italian aperitivo into a global cocktail phenomenon. They revisit the famous origin story of Count Camillo Negroni, who reportedly walked into a café in Florence around 1919 and asked a bartender to make his Americano stronger by replacing the soda water with gin. But how much of that story is fact, and how much is cocktail mythology?

Tim and Blake break down the Negroni's deceptively simple formula of gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth, explaining how three bold ingredients create a balance of bitterness, sweetness, botanicals, and aromatics. They also discuss why the quality of your vermouth matters, how different gins can completely change the experience, and why the classic equal-parts recipe is often just a starting point.

Then they explore one of cocktail history's most famous happy accidents: the Negroni Sbagliato. The guys recreate the sparkling variation and share the story of how bartender Mirko Stocchetto reportedly grabbed Prosecco instead of gin at Milan's Bar Basso in the 1970s, creating a lighter, bubbly alternative that became a classic in its own right.

Along the way, they discuss why bitterness is often an acquired taste, how the modern craft cocktail renaissance helped bring the Negroni to international prominence, and how the creation of Negroni Week in 2013 turned a beloved drink into a global celebration of hospitality and charitable giving.

From its mysterious beginnings in Florence to its sparkling sibling in Milan, discover how one simple cocktail became an enduring symbol of Italian drinking culture.

Are you a Negroni traditionalist, a Sbagliato fan, or do you have a favorite variation? Join Tim and Blake as they explore the history behind what's in your glass.

Keep exploring the past, one drink at a time, with Into The Barchive.

Before the Negroni became one of the world's most iconic cocktails, two simpler Italian drinks helped lay the foundation. This week on Into The Barchive, hosts Tim Wright and Dr. Blake Jones travel back to 19th-century Italy to explore the history of the Milano-Torino and the Americano—two cocktails that helped shape the country's aperitivo culture and forever changed the way we drink.

The guys begin by exploring Italy's growing café culture, where gathering for a drink before dinner became an important social tradition. They dig into the origins of two essential Italian ingredients: sweet vermouth from Turin and Campari from Milan. From Antonio Benedetto Carpano's pioneering vermouth to Gaspare Campari's famous bitter liqueur, they uncover how two distinct regional products came together to create the Milano-Torino, a beautifully balanced cocktail made with just two ingredients.

Then, with the simple addition of soda water, the Milano-Torino evolves into the refreshing Americano. Tim and Blake explore the competing theories behind the drink's name, how carbonation transformed cocktail culture, and why the Americano became a natural fit for Italy's relaxed, social drinking traditions.

They even uncover a surprising connection to James Bond, who ordered an Americano in Ian Fleming's very first 007 novel, Casino Royale, long before becoming synonymous with the Martini.

Along the way, the guys mix both classic recipes, break down the delicate balance between bitterness and sweetness, and explain how one more simple ingredient substitution would eventually give birth to the legendary Negroni.

From the cafés of northern Italy to cocktail bars around the world, this episode celebrates two classic drinks that deserve to be remembered for more than just what came after them.

Keep exploring the past, one drink at a time, with Into The Barchive.

September is Bourbon Heritage Month, and this week on Into The Barchive, hosts Tim Wright and Dr. Blake Jones continue celebrating America’s native spirit by looking at two modern cocktails that prove bourbon’s story is still being written.

This episode spotlights bartender John Santor and two of his influential creations: the refreshing Democrat and the coffee-accented Revolver. Though both were created within the past two decades, they’ve earned a place alongside the modern classics that helped define the craft cocktail renaissance.

Tim and Blake also head to San Francisco, exploring how the city became an important center of the modern cocktail revival. From its historic drinking culture and access to fresh ingredients to a new generation of bartenders treating their craft as a profession, San Francisco helped push cocktail culture forward while building on the traditions that came before it.

Then they dig into the stories behind the drinks. The Democrat was inspired by Santor reading a biography of President Harry Truman and imagining the bourbon-loving president enjoying a cool porch drink on a Missouri summer evening. The result is a bourbon-based combination of peach liqueur, lemon, and honey served over crushed ice—a drink designed to be refreshing, approachable, and easy to enjoy with friends.

The Revolver takes a very different approach. Created in San Francisco in 2004, the three-ingredient cocktail pairs bourbon with coffee liqueur and orange bitters before finishing with its signature flamed orange peel.

Tim and Blake explore how the drink grew out of the Manhattan template, why high-rye bourbon works so well with coffee, and how a practical need to move a case of Bulleit Bourbon ultimately helped inspire one of the era’s most recognizable modern classics.

From the neighborhood bars of San Francisco to cocktail menus around the world, the Democrat and Revolver are reminders that every classic was once a new drink—and cocktail history doesn’t only belong to the past.

Keep exploring the past, one drink at a time, with Into The Barchive.

September is Bourbon Heritage Month, and this week on Into The Barchive, hosts Tim Wright and Dr. Blake Jones are celebrating America’s native spirit by looking forward instead of back.

Rather than focusing on dusty bottles and Prohibition-era classics, Tim and Blake explore two modern bourbon cocktails that have already earned their place in the contemporary cocktail canon: Eric Castro’s Kentucky Buck and Iron Ranger. Both drinks show just how versatile bourbon can be, pairing it with everything from fresh strawberry and ginger to pineapple, falernum, citrus, and bitters.

Along the way, they break down what officially makes a whiskey bourbon, why bourbon doesn’t actually have to come from Kentucky, and how National Bourbon Heritage Month became an annual celebration of one of America’s most important spirits.

The guys also dive into the career and philosophy of bartender Eric Castro, whose influential cocktails have appeared on menus around the world. From his work at Bourbon & Branch to bars like Polite Provisions and Raised by Wolves, Castro helped shape the West Coast cocktail renaissance with a simple philosophy: great cocktails should be thoughtfully crafted without sacrificing hospitality or approachability.

Then it’s into the drinks. The Kentucky Buck combines bourbon, fresh strawberry, lemon, ginger, bitters, and soda into a refreshing modern classic that reportedly sold tens of thousands of glasses after finding a home at San Francisco’s Rickhouse. The Iron Ranger, meanwhile, takes bourbon somewhere unexpected—straight into the world of tropical cocktails, where pineapple, falernum, lemon, and baking spices prove that rum isn’t the only spirit that belongs under a mountain of pebble ice.
It’s a celebration of bourbon’s past, present, and future—and a reminder that cocktail history is still being written every time a great new drink earns a permanent spot behind the bar.

Keep exploring the past, one drink at a time, with Into The Barchive.

In this episode of Into The Barchive, hosts Tim Wright and Dr. Blake Jones head into the world of tiki to explore one of the most famous—and most misunderstood—cocktails ever created: the Mai Tai.

Forget the oversized glasses, pineapple juice, grenadine, and over-the-top fruit garnishes. The original Trader Vic Mai Tai was a surprisingly restrained cocktail built around rum, lime, orange curaçao, orgeat, and a touch of sugar. Tim and Blake break down why those few ingredients work so well together and how the drink became one of the defining rum cocktails of the 20th century.

They also revisit one of the biggest rivalries in cocktail history: Trader Vic vs. Don the Beachcomber. Trader Vic claimed he created the Mai Tai in 1944, while Don argued that Vic had borrowed inspiration from his 1937 QB Cooler. To put the debate to the test, the guys make both drinks and compare two very different tiki philosophies—Vic’s focus on simplicity and exceptional ingredients versus Don’s complex layering of multiple rums, juices, syrups, and spices.

Along the way, they dig into the legendary 17-year-old J. Wray & Nephew rum used in the original Mai Tai, how the cocktail became so popular that Trader Vic exhausted the supply, why orgeat is essential to the drink, and how modern bartenders continue trying to recreate the flavor of the original recipe.

Was the Mai Tai inspired by Don the Beachcomber? Did Trader Vic truly create the version that conquered the world? Grab some rum and pebble ice as Tim and Blake separate tiki history from mythology and explore a rivalry that bartenders are still debating more than 80 years later.

Keep exploring the past, one drink at a time, with Into The Barchive.

In this episode of Into The Barchive, hosts Tim Wright and Dr. Blake Jones dive into one of the most important building blocks in cocktail history: the Whiskey Sour. With its simple combination of whiskey, citrus, and sugar, the Whiskey Sour is more than just a classic drink—it’s a blueprint for an entire family of cocktails built around the balance of sweet, sour, and strong.

Tim mixes up a traditional Whiskey Sour with bourbon, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, and an egg white, while Blake explores how the drink developed through the 19th and 20th centuries—from its early appearance in Jerry Thomas’ Bartender’s Guide to later additions like orange curaçao, red wine, and the now-iconic egg white. They also discuss how bottled sour mix nearly damaged the drink’s reputation before the modern cocktail revival brought fresh ingredients and careful balance back into focus.

Then they jump forward to the modern classic Gold Rush, created at New York’s legendary Milk & Honey in 2001. By swapping simple syrup for honey syrup, the drink demonstrates how one small change to a classic formula can create something entirely new—and even help inspire another modern favorite, the Penicillin.

From cocktail structure and whiskey styles to fresh citrus, honey syrup, egg whites, and the evolution of the sour, this episode shows why some of the simplest drinks can tell the biggest stories.

Keep exploring the past, one drink at a time, with Into The Barchive.

In this week’s episode of Into the Barchive, Blake and Tim head south to Brazil to explore the country’s most essential spirit: cachaça.

Often described as “Brazilian rum,” cachaça has a story and identity all its own. Blake and Tim trace its roots through sugar cane, Portuguese colonization, agriculture, and Brazilian culture, while explaining what makes cachaça different from rum and why it remains so deeply tied to Brazil’s national drinking traditions.

Along the way, they make two classic Brazilian cocktails: the Caipirinha, Brazil’s national cocktail made with cachaça, lime, sugar, and ice, and the Batida, a creamy, fruity family of cocktails that showcases cachaça’s more tropical and indulgent side.

From roadside Caipirinhas to neighborhood botecos, this episode looks at how Brazilian cocktails reflect freshness, simplicity, celebration, and centuries of history in every glass.

In this week’s episode of Into the Barchive, Blake and Tim explore the Sherry Cobbler, one of the earliest American mixed drinks and a cocktail that helped change the way people drank.

At first glance, the Sherry Cobbler seems simple: sherry, sugar, citrus, crushed ice, and a straw. But historically, it was a game changer. Blake and Tim dive into the world of sherry, from dry and delicate fino to richer amontillado, oloroso, and sweet Pedro Ximénez, while explaining how this fortified wine from southern Spain became the foundation for one of the most fashionable drinks of the 19th century.

Along the way, they make two versions of the cocktail: a classic Sherry Cobbler with amontillado, citrus, sugar, crushed ice, berries, and plenty of garnish, and a modern Maison Premiere-inspired version that layers multiple styles of sherry with pimento dram, blueberry jam, pineapple, lemon, and demerara syrup.

From the rise of commercial ice to the popularity of the straw, this episode shows how a simple, refreshing cocktail became a symbol of American sophistication and a lasting piece of cocktail history.

In this week’s episode of Into the Barchive, Blake and Tim dive into one of the most iconic mixers in cocktail history: Coca-Cola.

What began as a syrup created in an Atlanta pharmacy became a global cultural phenomenon, a piece of American history, and a surprisingly important part of cocktail culture. Blake and Tim trace Coca-Cola’s journey from soda fountains to worldwide branding, including its role during World War II and the way it became woven into drinking traditions around the globe.

Along the way, they make two classic Coca-Cola cocktails: the Cuba Libre, a rum, Coke, and lime drink tied to Cuban independence and American influence, and the Batanga, a tequila and Coke cocktail from Jalisco with its own local legend and unforgettable knife-stirred tradition.

From Havana to Jalisco to everyday home bars, this episode shows how even the simplest cocktails can carry rich stories of culture, history, and tradition.

In this week’s episode of Into the Barchive, Blake and Tim celebrate National Tequila Day by diving into one of the world’s most recognizable spirits.

Tequila may be most associated with shots, salt, and lime, but its story goes much deeper. Blake and Tim explore how tequila is made from Blue Weber agave, why it must come from specific regions of Mexico, and how the long growing cycle of agave shapes everything from production to sustainability. They also break down traditional and modern methods, including brick ovens, autoclaves, tahona crushing, fermentation, distillation, aging, additives, and the growing demand for premium, place-based tequila.

Along the way, they make two tequila cocktails: the Cantarito, a refreshing Mexican drink built with tequila, orange juice, grapefruit juice, lime, saline, grapefruit soda, and a clay mug, and the Siesta, a modern classic that pairs blanco tequila with Campari, grapefruit, lime, and simple syrup.

From Jalisco’s agave fields to craft cocktail bars around the world, this episode looks at tequila as more than a party spirit. It is agriculture, craftsmanship, culture, and history poured into a glass.