History of

Bartending
 Bartending in Early
History
• The first bartenders can be found in the ancient era,
when Greek and Roman revelers relied on expert
craftsman to pour their favorite drinks. Throughout
the decades and centuries, bartenders continued to
master their craft. By the 15th century, bartenders
throughout Europe were primarily known as
innkeepers, and these professionals typically
produced their own spirits and ales.
 Bartending During the
Prohibition Era
• After the rise of the cocktail in the early 20th century,
Americans were faced with prohibition laws from the
Federal government. However, bartending culture
remained alive throughout prohibition. Working in
underground speakeasies, bartenders continued to
provide their patrons with delicious cocktails. In fact,
familiar cocktails, such as the gin and tonic, were
invented during the Prohibition Era (The Noble
Experiment).
Bartending in Modern
Times
• Bartending remains a notable profession to this very
day. After prohibition was overturned, many bars and
cocktail lounges opened up across the United States.
Bartending schools were opened so that bartenders
were able to produce consistently delicious beverages.
When you hire a bartender for your next party, you
can rest assured that you will receive delicious drinks
from a highly trained and experienced professional.
 Bartending in the
Covid-Era
• The world got disrupted on March 2020 with this virus
called COVID 19 One of the industries that got disrupted
most is the hospitality industry Bars were closed,
bartenders lost jobs, people were not allowed to dine in. In
the Philippines, Prohibition era was experienced firsthand.
Liquor was not allowed to be sold in public, no one was
allowed to drink outside, curfew hours strictly
implemented, check points were set up. This was a time
the bartending industry learned to be creative.
• Liquor was sold illegally through social media. In the
Philippines we have mini groceries referred to as "Sari-
Sari stores" and they would have some underground
transaction even with both their neighbors and even local
law enforcement if they want to buy liquor. There was
even a time that there would be look outs if there were
cops going around for inspection when the lockdown
loosened up a bit and everyone at the bar would suddenly
separate or pretend to go to the toilet since "social
distancing" was being enforced. I just had to include this
bit since this is definitely Prohibition part 2- some of the
bars would resort to having a backdoor entrance for the
guest while the front will have a sign that says "under
construction" -Disclaimer, just to excite your imagination
When we talk of history, knowing
key persons who have made a big
contribution to this industry is
important. Here are some of them.
 Jerry Thomas
• Jerry Thomas was not only the most famous
bartender of his day, but his 1862 guide to
cocktail making, "The Bon Vivant's Companion,"
was also the first cocktail book ever published.
The book is so useful that it's still in print today
and includes dozens of recipes. Up until his death
in 1885 at age 55, Thomas worked at bars all
across the US and Europe.
 "Cocktail" Bill Boothby
• We may be in the midst of a modern golden age of cocktails,
but the original so-called "golden age of mixology" took place
between the Civil War and Prohibition. One of its stars was
"Cocktail" Bill Boothby, who worked his way up to become
one of the greatest West Coast barmen of the time, presiding
over San Francisco's Palace Hotel bar. By the time he died in
1930, he'd published multiple editions of his "World's Drinks
and How to Mix Them," which, in a rare move for the time,
attributed many recipes to local bartenders, saving them from
obscurity.
 Ada Coleman
• While you don't often hear about the role women played in the
history of spirits and cocktails-until recent years, of course-this
list wouldn't be complete without Ada Coleman. She first started
working at London's Claridge's Hotel in 1899, but soon moved on
to the Savoy Hotel's American Bar, where she became known as
"Coley." She eventually became head bartender at the Savoy and
is known for inventing the now famous Hanky Panky cocktail for
contemporary actor Sir Charles Hawtrey. She also i helped train
her famous successor, Harry Craddock, who would go on to
include many of Coleman's recipes in his "Savoy Cocktail Book."
 Ernest Gantt, aka Donn Beach
• Tiki drinks are undeniably back. We're not talking about
the neon-colored frozen concoctions that will give you a
toothache but instead carefully constructed classic faux
Polynesian cocktails that were a sensation in the 1940s
and '50s. Arguably, the father of tiki movement was
Ernest Gantt-better known as Donn Beach of Don the
Beachcomber bar-who set up shop in Los Angeles after
the repeal of Prohibition. It didn't take long for his style
of bartending to catch on, inspiring dozens of imitators.
 Victor "Trade Vic" Bergeron
• While Don the Beachcomber may have invented tiki
cocktails, Victor "Trader Vic" Bergeron made these
drinks a national obsession. At his original tropical bar
in Oakland, California, (which led to an international
chain), Bergeron served all kinds of concoctions, from
his signature Mai Tai to the Painkiller His secret? He
only used the best ingredients, writing in 1948, "for
the life of me, I can't see why any bar uses anything
but pure fresh lemon or orange juice."
 Constante Ribalaigua
Vert
• It's rare to find a bartender who doesn't drink, but that was
exactly the case for Constante Ribalaigua Vert, owner of
Cuba's famed El Floridita bar. He was one of the greatest
mixologists of the mid-20th century, serving everyone from
Ernest Hemingway and Spencer Tracy to everyday tourists.
He was devoted to his patrons and was an incredibly skilled
bartender, coming up with dozens of original concoctions.
And, thankfully for us, he left behind very detailed
instructions on how to recreate some of his greatest recipes.
 William Schmidt
• With his impressive mustache and his 10-
ingredient drinks, William Schmidt
wouldn't be out of place at a modern-day
craft-cocktail bar. But the German
immigrant worked in a run-down New
York watering hole in the late 19th
century.
 Charles H. Baker
• Charles H. Baker was not your traditional mixologist. In fact, he
wasn't a bartender at all. He started out as an industrial merchant,
tried to become an interior decorator and then ended up traveling
the world having adventures. In 1939, at the age of 43, he
published his first book of recipes and stories from his globe-
trotting experiences, The Gentleman's Companion. (An example
story: Baker was stranded in a lifeboat off the coast of Borneo,
only to be rescued and comforted with a Colonial Cooler cocktail.)
So whether you're looking for a good yarn or want to try a recipe
from far-flung lands, be sure to check out his tome there was even
a follow-up book focusing on South America, published in 1951.
 Dale DeGroff
• All drinkers should enjoy a cocktail from Liquor.com
advisory board member Dale DeGroff at least once in their
lifetimes-he is known as King Cocktail for a reason. Aside
from training many of the world's top bartenders, penning
two excellent bar books and winning countless awards-
including the 2008 Tales of the Cocktail Helen David
Lifetime Achievement Award and a 2009 James Beard
Award-Degroff has helped redefine modern bartending.
His enthusiasm for classic recipes and fresh ingredients
was undoubtedly a starting point for today's cocktail craze.