History & Craft– category –

Rum is the backbone of beloved cocktails like the Mojito and Daiquiri, prized for its sweet, sugarcane-derived aroma and the rich Caribbean history behind it. This guide walks through rum's history, production, and styles, along with its...

Vodka is the backbone of classic cocktails like the Moscow Mule and Salty Dog. Its story stretches back to medieval Russia, and the distinct production process behind it gives vodka its signature clear, clean character. This guide walks through vodka's history, production methods, and styles, along with the classic cocktails it's known for — helping you find your perfect glass while exploring the character of one of the world's four great spirits.

Few spirits have a history as chaotic as gin's. What started as a Dutch medicinal drink somehow became the drink that nearly broke London — one so cheap and so strong that, for a stretch of the 18th century, the city's death rate actually outpaced its birth rate. Parliament passed law after law trying to rein it in, and each one backfired in its own spectacular way, from black-market cat-shaped vending machines to riots in the streets. It took nearly a century, five failed Gin Acts, and one final, brutally effective sixth, before gin's reputation began to turn around. From there, it transformed twice over: first into Old Tom, a sweeter style built to hide gin's rough edges, and later into the clean, dry gin we know today, made possible by a 19th-century Scottish invention that changed distilling forever. This is the story of how gin went from "Mother's Ruin" to the backbone of the modern cocktail — and how two very different styles, dry gin and Old Tom, both survived the journey.

You probably know a Gin and Tonic or a Moscow Mule — but do you know what actually separates a "Fizz" from a "Rickey"? The style name in a cocktail's title isn't just decoration — it points to specific ingredients and a specific method of preparation. In this guide, we break down 25 classic cocktail styles in detail, from the frothy Eggnog to the icy Frozen, so you can find the hints you need to discover your new favorite drink.

The history of cocktails began in ancient Rome and Greece, and has evolved ever since alongside changing eras and cultures — from the invention of the ice machine, through Prohibition, and into the modern day. From the origin stories beh...