THE WATERHOLE
Stirred Histories & Cultural Cocktails
A cocktail is never just a drink. It is a small stage on which history, geography, and the mood of the moment perform together — a portable piece of culture, served in a glass. From the mahogany bars of 19th-century New York to the mirrored salons of Paris and the terrazzo counters of Milan, cocktails have been part of the theatre of human gathering for more than two centuries. As author David Wondrich, one of the great chroniclers of drinking culture, puts it: “The cocktail is a story told in three ounces — the prologue, the plot, and the aftertaste.”
The First Act: Milk Punch and the Birth of Bottled Elegance
One of the very first acts in this theatre was the milk punch. Its earliest recorded recipe dates to 1711, from Mary Rockett in London, combining brandy, lemon, sugar, hot milk, and water. The alchemy of heating, curdling, and straining created a clear, silken drink that was — remarkably — shelf stable. At a time before refrigeration, this meant it could be bottled for long journeys or kept for weeks without spoiling (Food52, 2021).
It wasn’t just practical. It was one of the first drinks consciously designed for both flavour and experience — smooth, clarified, and elegant in presentation. Benjamin Franklin famously recorded his own recipe in 1763 while serving as an envoy in London, recommending it be “bottled and kept in a cool cellar” (National Archives, USA). By 1838, Queen Victoria had granted Nathaniel Whisson & Co. a royal warrant as purveyors of milk punch to the Crown, cementing its place in both popular and aristocratic drinking culture.
The Revival: Death & Co and the Craft Cocktail Opera
If milk punch was an early overture, then the 21st-century craft cocktail revival has been a full-blown opera — and few companies embody it better than Death & Co. Opening its doors in Manhattan’s East Village on New Year’s Eve 2006/07, the name was inspired by Prohibition-era propaganda equating drinking with “a deal with death.”
Founder David Kaplan articulated their ethos as “creating cocktails with the same precision and intent as a chef plating a dish” (Death & Co, 2014). Their dimly lit, book-lined bar became a pilgrimage site for bartenders and enthusiasts, shaping the language and rituals of the modern speakeasy. It wasn’t just the drinks — it was the choreography of service, the intimacy of the setting, and the sense of belonging to a hidden society.
Atmosphere as an Ingredient
The greatest cocktail rooms — whether The Savoy’s American Bar in London, Harry’s New York Bar in Paris, or Attaboy and Dante in New York — have always been about more than the liquid in the glass. They are atmospheres: a marriage of lighting, glassware, music, and conversation, all blending into a sensory narrative.
As the legendary bartender Dale DeGroff, credited with kick-starting the modern cocktail renaissance, once said: “A great cocktail isn’t just tasted, it’s remembered.” The memory comes as much from the environment as from the drink — a truth that has kept these bars at the centre of cultural life for decades.
Seasonality as Storytelling
One of the most powerful ways cocktails speak is through the seasons. In winter, they lean toward warmth and spice: a clarified milk punch, a walnut-bitters Old Fashioned, or a rum toddy served in a heavy mug. In spring and summer, they brighten — juleps with crushed mint, spritzes with sun-coloured citrus, herb-laced gin sours.
As Audrey Saunders, founder of the late, great Pegu Club in New York, once said: “Seasonality isn’t just about ingredients, it’s about mood. The drink should feel like the weather outside.”
Like fashion collections, the best cocktail menus change with the light and the leaves, enticing guests back to see what’s new.
The Negroni: Perfect Geometry in a Glass
And then there’s the Negroni — my forever favourite. Equal parts gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari, it is a study in balance: bitter yet sweet, complex yet simple, bold in colour yet spare in composition.
Born in Florence around 1919 when Count Camillo Negroni asked for gin instead of soda in his Americano, the drink is, in its way, a miniature piece of Italian modernism — as enduring as a Gio Ponti chair or a Prada suit. Stanley Tucci has called it “the perfect cocktail — the balance, the simplicity, the elegance” (BBC, 2020).
The Digital Bar: Influencers as the New Storytellers
In today’s digital age, the culture of cocktails is also shaped by a new generation of storytellers:
Julianna McIntosh (@join_jules) — celebrated for vibrant, playful home-bar creations.
Kaitlyn Stewart (@likeablecocktails) — World Class Global Bartender of the Year (2017), blending education with elegance.
Justin Sajda (@thirstywhale_) — merging skate-culture aesthetic with inventive mixology.
These influencers bring cocktails to millions daily, turning Instagram and TikTok feeds into the new salons of drink culture. As McIntosh told Forbes: “People don’t just want a recipe, they want the story and the style that goes with it.”
Why Cocktails Matter to Hospitality
For the bar, the restaurant, the hotel lounge, cocktails are not just profitable — they are personality. They draw people in, set the tone for the evening, and transform a simple night out into a memory. From a 300-year-old milk punch to a neon-lit rooftop spritz, the cocktail’s role remains the same: to embody the spirit of its time and to offer, as Death & Co’s menu once promised, “a moment worth savouring.”