Proof

Where does the word "cocktail" come from? Who invented it? We explore these questions and the backstories of two drinks from America's early days as a nation: The Mint Julep and the Sazerac. (Special thanks to Joe Gitter and Yiorgos Tsivranidis for their voice acting in this episode.)

Try making our Mint Julep and Sazerac recipes at home!

Further Reading:

"A Brief History of Bitters" Smithsonian Magazine by Peter Smith

Difford's Guide for Discerning Drinkers

Drink & Learn

"The Ice King was a Tudor" Wall Street Journal by Eric Felten

Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs & Juice - Cocktails from Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks by Toni Tipton-Martin

"NEW ORLEANS: A TIMELINE OF ECONOMIC HISTORY" Tulane University by Richard Campanella

The Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails (Edited by David Wondrich & Noah Rothbaum)

Travels of four years and a half in the United States of America by John Davis

Whenham Great Pond by John C. Phillips from The Peabody Museum, Salem, Massachusetts

"Who Is the Real Father of the Cocktail?" The Daily Beast by Philip Greene

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This week, we kick off Proof's first-ever miniseries. Episode 1 explores how we got to our modern cocktail renaissance. Why were cocktails in the 90s and early 2000s shells of the well-crafted drinks we see today? It took a renegade group of bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts to resurrect drinks from the cocktail's heyday. Hosted by Cook's Country Editor-in-Chief Toni Tipton-Martin, and reported by Proof's managing producer, Yumi Araki.

Looking for a new cocktail shaker? We've tested over a dozen types to find the best options that will fit your home bar.

Further Reading:

A Proper Drink by Robert Simonson

Difford's Guide for Discerning Drinkers

Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs & Juice - Cocktails from Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks by Toni Tipton-Martin

Straight Up or On the Rocks - The Story of the American Cocktail by William Grimes

Ted Saucier's Bottoms Up - Ted Saucier

"The born-in-Detroit cocktail that has spawned countless variations," Washington Post by M. Carrie Allan

The New Craft of the Cocktail: Everything You Need to Know to Think Like a Master Mixologist by Dale DeGroff

The Oxford Companion to Spirits & Cocktails (Edited by David Wondrich & Noah Rothbaum)

Special thanks to the following recording studios:

Brooklyn Podcasting Studio

Signature Sound Studios

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Even before the Stone Age, our ancestors were thinking about what happens when we combine one flavor with another, both in the primordial kitchen and behind the prehistoric bar. Fast-forward to today, and the carefully crafted cocktail is all around us. But what if we told you it wasn’t always this way?

Welcome to Proof's first-ever miniseries: 100 Proof: The Journey of the American Cocktail. Over six episodes, we’ll look at the rise and fall--and subsequent resurgence--of the American cocktail, and contemplate what forces led to our modern cocktail renaissance. We'll also share some recipes along the way. Hosted by Cook's Country Editor-In-Chief Toni Tipton-Martin, and reported by Proof's managing producer, Yumi Araki.

Episode 1 drops May 23.

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Can saliva change the way our food tastes? Does it affect our cooking? In our Season 16 finale, reporter Jacklyn Kim digs into the unexpected ingredient that we end up adding to every meal.

Proof will be back later in May with a 6-part miniseries on the history of cocktails! 

Until then, stimulate your taste buds and break out the cast iron with the Test Kitchen recipe for Cast Iron Margherita Pizza. 

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In 1951, the Explorer's Club hosted an extravagant banquet that had 250,000-year-old woolly mammoth on the menu. The dinner raised eyebrows back then as it does now. What does it mean to seek out "exotic" foods? Why do we do it? And was it really wooly mammoth that was on the menu? Reporter Doug Mack digs in.

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We're headed to the riverbanks of the Magdalena River to experience a Colombian tradition of eating stew, called the paseo de olla. Journalist Camilo Garzón shares how the mighty river and the stew have been at the center of Colombia's past and present. 

Hear more of Camilo's work at Cuentero Productions.

Invite some friends over to enjoy Colombia's signature three-meat stew, Sancocho at home with our tested recipe. 

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What happens when you have to boycott your favorite food? Reporter Makepeace Sitlhou travels to her home to North East India to confront this reality with her favorite dish: The Manipuri Thali.

Heads up: This episode includes descriptions of violence.

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We kick off Season 16 with a new episode that traces Horiatiki, or the Greek salad's journey from Athens to American tables. Our reporter digs into how tax evasion shaped the humble Horiatiki, and how a star ingredient wasn't incorporated until much later than you might think.

Check our top picks for Feta Cheese to make your own Horiatiki at home. 

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Before we return next week with new episodes of Proof, we're sharing an episode of Your Mama’s Kitchen, a podcast about cuisine and culture, ingredients and identities, and the meals and memories that make us who we are. In this episode, host Michele Norris interviews TV’s funniest redhead, Conan O’Brien. The comedian talks about how he first learned to be funny at the kitchen table. We also learn about why Halloween is his favorite holiday, and he reveals his favorite childhood meal: fried ham. Learn more about Your Mama’s Kitchen here.

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This week, we're bringing you the first episode from a new, four-part series from our friends at The Sporkful. Host Dan Pashman shares the inside story of creating his first cookbook, Anything’s Pastable — from the highs and lows of recipe testing, to a research trip across Italy, to the agonizing decisions over the design of the cover. By the end, you'll never look at a cookbook the same way again. Episode 2 is available in The Sporkful feed right now! 

See if Dan is visiting a city near you on his tour of book signings and live podcast tapings with special guests. And follow Dan on Instagram to see photos and videos from the Anything’s Pastable journey!

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