115 | Why The Cocktail Renaissance Was Built Bottom-up: Author Robert Simonson on Documenting Cocktail History While It Happens

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MAFFEO DRINKS: Brands Built Bottom-up

Chris Maffeo

118 episodes

2 days ago

The MAFFEO DRINKS Podcast is a leading drinks business podcast delivering actionable insights for drinks leadership. For founders, directors, distributor MDs, and hospitality leaders navigating the tension between bottom-up reality and top-down expectations. 20+ years building brands across 30+ markets. Each episode features drinks builders: founders, distributors, commercial directors, sharing how the drinks industry actually works. Not the conference version. Honest conversations. Insights come from sitting at the bar. Beyond episodes: advisory for leadership teams, subscription with episode deep dives and principles to navigate your own reality. Beer, wine, spirits, Low and non-alcoholic. Bottom-up Insights & Episode Deep Dives at https://maffeodrinks.com

All content for MAFFEO DRINKS: Brands Built Bottom-up is the property of Chris Maffeo and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Entrepreneurship

Business,

Marketing

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115 | Why The Cocktail Renaissance Was Built Bottom-up: Author Robert Simonson on Documenting Cocktail History While It Happens

MAFFEO DRINKS: Brands Built Bottom-up

35 minutes

1 week ago

115 | Why The Cocktail Renaissance Was Built Bottom-up: Author Robert Simonson on Documenting Cocktail History While It Happens

Happy 2026. This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS. A Deep-Dive Analysis of This Episode is Available at maffeodrinks.com

Robert Simonson, author of seven cocktail books including "A Proper Drink: The Untold Story of How a Band of Bartenders Saved the Civilized Drinking World," joins to discuss how the modern cocktail revival actually happened.

This conversation explores how dead crafts come back to life through individuals rather than institutions, why certain innovations spread while others stay local, and the challenge of documenting history while participants are still alive. Simonson spent 18 months interviewing over 200 people across multiple continents to map how a small group of obsessives rebuilt an entire profession from scratch. The discussion reveals patterns about how quality movements emerge, scale, and risk being forgotten by the next generation.

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and Welcome
00:26 Discussing 'A Proper Drink'
02:47 The Cocktail Renaissance
05:07 Global Influence and Cross-Pollination
12:23 Modern Classic Cocktails
23:22 Local Influences on Cocktails
32:37 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

This episode is brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS, an Advisory helping drinks leaders execute bottom-up growth while managing stakeholder expectations. You can get in touch at bottomup@maffeodrinks.com