On Monday, April 7, 2014, the Museum of the American Cocktail (MOTAC) presents A History of Gin in Five Cocktails, the first lecture of the Touring the Cocktail: Los Angeles series, taking place from 6:30-8pm at Dominick’s Restaurant. Founded by “King Cocktail” Dale DeGroff and several renowned cocktail authorities and historians, MOTAC is a division of the nonprofit SoFAB Institute, which documents and celebrates the food and drink of all cultures through exhibits, programming, and a range of media.
“MOTAC has been presenting master mixology seminars in New Orleans, spiritual home of the American cocktail, and Washington, D.C, home of one of our co-founders, for some years,” said Philip Dobard, Vice President of the SoFAB Institute. “We chose Los Angeles because the craft cocktail is exploding here, and it’s a very public way of demonstrating what MOTAC does best – bringing brands, enthusiasts, and professionals together for a focused educational experience.”
Following the launch of Touring the Cocktail, MOTAC will continue to expand its L.A. presence. “We’re staging our first Los Angeles show later this year at the Craft in America Center,” said Dobard. “The exhibition will feature state-of-the-art artisanal craft cocktail paraphernalia, barware, drinkware, bottles, that sort of thing. We’ll also have a major presence at the upcoming Los Angeles Spirits Expo. We’ve formed Legacy Partnerships across the country, in fact. In addition to LA Spirits, we’re working with the Manhattan Cocktail Classic, Miami Rum Renaissance Festival, and San Diego Spirits Festival.”
A History of Gin in Five Cocktails features Lesley Jacobs Solmonson, the spirits/wine writer for the LA Weekly, as well as a freelance food/drink journalist. Her book, Gin: A Global History was released in spring 2012 by Reaktion Books. Along with her husband David Solmonson, she is the co-founder of 12 Bottle Bar, a Saveur-nominated site that focuses on cocktail history and classic drinks. Their book 12 Bottle Bar will be released in August 2014 by Workman Publishing. As the seminar name suggests, Solmonson will use five gin cocktails to illustrate the evolution of gin from its earliest days as a medicinal, juniper-based tonic to the classic London Dry style and modern artisanal gins.
Established in 1948, Dominick’s is certainly an apropos location to kickoff the series – at one time it was an exclusive Hollywood hideout, a watering hole frequented by the likes of Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack. Dominick’s was recently added to the SoFAB Culinary Heritage Register, a curated list of culinary products, processes, inventions, traditions, and establishments that are at least 60 years old and have contributed significantly to the development of American foodways.
Tickets to Touring the Cocktail: Los Angeles are $45 in advance, and $50 at the door. Discounted $40 tickets available for USBG and SoFAB-MOTAC members. Cocktails and snacks are included in the ticket price. Presale tickets are available at sofabinstitute.org/gin-april-2014.
For more information, visit sofabinstitute.org.
Touring the Cocktail: Los Angeles
A History of Gin in Five Cocktails
Monday, April 7, 2014
6:30-8pm
Featuring: Lesley Jacobs Solmonson
Tickets: $45 presale, $50 at the door
Discounted $40 tickets available to USBG and SoFAB-MOTAC members
sofabinstitute.org/gin-april-2014
Dominick’s Restaurant
8715 Beverly Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90048
(310) 652-2335
www.dominicksrestaurant.com
Photo courtesy of Dominick’s, via Facebook.
