In 1862, Union Major-General Ulysses S. Grant issued his infamous General Order Number 11, ordering every Jew in his three-state territory to evacuate, on suspicion of war profiteering
A History Lesson With Booze ®
You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby and The Sullivan
This week back in 1908, women in NYC were barred from smoking in public. Hear how they won back the right to slowly kill themselves, then celebrate your right to partake of this vice: “The Sullivan,” as drafted by bartender Lauren Davis of the Raines Law Room speakeasy in New York’s Flatiron District.
Coney Island Cyclone and The Thunderbolt
[The Cyclone now sits on the site of the first ever roller coaster – Switchback Railway – on Coney Island in New York.] It was the late 19th century and LaMarcus Adna Thompson was losing his mind. He was a natural carpenter and inventor but somehow he’d ended up in the pantyhose business. […]
Pay up, Beardo!
This week in 1698, Tsar Peter the Great tried to change the face of Russia… by instituting a beard tax. Fight the power - and put some hair on your chest - with a classic cocktail from America’s most famous Russian-themed restaurant.
The Birth of Swing and the Hep Benny
When Benny Goodman first played swing music, audiences threw bottles at him. We celebrate the moment the crowd came around by getting out some bottles of our own - to make a cocktail.
The Rise of the Escalator and The Iron Pier Swizzle
This week back in 1859, a Massachusetts man Nathan Ames patented the idea of a “revolving stairway.” Let us walk you through the ensuing history of the escalator… then ascend to giddy heights with this custom cocktail.
The Mammoth Cheese and The Berkshire Localmotive
Back in 1801, the Baptists of Cheshire, MA celebrated Thomas Jefferson's Presidency by making him a very special gift of congratulations: a 1,200 pound wheel of cheese.
The Throne of Stone and The Kelvin Car Bomb
This week back in 1996, the British government announced the Stone of Scone was going home. The Stone, a 340-pound sandstone block, sat on a shelf within Britain's coronation chair for 700 years — much to the chagrin of the Scots, from whom it was taken back in the 13th century.
The Smoke-Filled Room and “The Dark Horse”
This week back in 1920, a group of politicians gathered in a hotel suite… and a political cliche was born. Learn about the original “smoke-filled room,” then take a deep drag of this murky cocktail.
Spider-Dan and Trumped
On Memorial Day, 1981, Dan Goodwin did some climbing. Which sounds normal enough for a guy who was a rock climber… except his target was the surface of the (then) tallest building in the world – Chicago’s Sears Tower — and he scaled it dressed as Spider-Man.