About this episode

This episode explores the evolution of cocktail culture and the reasons behind the stagnation of modern classic cocktails after 2012 with expert Robert Simonson.

The MAFFEO DRINKS Podcast is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries worldwide with 125+ episodes. Honest conversations about how the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom. This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS . Robert Simonson, author of seven cocktail books including “A Proper Drink,” and "Modern Classic Cocktails", has spent twenty-five years documenting the modern cocktail era as it happened. Not reconstructed afterwards. Not filtered through brand mythology or oral history passed between generations of sales managers. He was in the room. He talked to the people making the decisions while the bars were still open and the drinks were still new. Seven books. His Substack newsletter The Mix. A primary source in an industry where almost everything gets retold until it resembles something useful to whoever is telling it. In this episode, we go back to the question that most people in commercial roles cannot answer precisely: why did the canon close, and what replaced it. We examine the intimidation factor preventing cocktail culture from scaling to mass audiences, the missing middle…

People in this episode

Host: Chris Maffeo

Guest: Robert Simonson

Topics covered

• cocktail culture
• modern cocktails
• industry insights
• bar experiences
• commercial roles

Keywords

• cocktails
• bar industry
• cocktail books
• guest shifts
• cocktail culture

Sponsors

MAFFEO DRINKS

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: A Proper Drink, Modern Classic Cocktails

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