Dale DeGroff (born September 21, 1948, Rhode Island), also known as ''the King of Cocktails'' or ''King Cocktail'', is an American bartender and author. The New York Times in 2015 called DeGroff "one of the world's foremost cocktail experts", and wrote that his book "The Craft of the Cocktail" is considered an essential bartending reference.
From 1987 to 1999 DeGroff rose to prominence as the original chief bartender in the
Rainbow Room
The Rainbow Room is a private event space on the 65th floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza at Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Run by Tishman Speyer, it is among the highest venues in New York City. The Rainbow Room serves clas ...
at
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a large complex consisting of 19 commerce, commercial buildings covering between 48th Street (Manhattan), 48th Street and 51st Street (Manhattan), 51st Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The 14 original Art Deco ...
in New York City, where his then-unusual emphasis on classic cocktail recipes and high-quality ingredients led to substantial acclaim and emulation by many other bars in New York City and beyond, and helped influence the creation of the
craft cocktail movement
The craft cocktail movement is a social movement spurred by the cocktail renaissance, a period of time in the 21st century characterized by a revival and re-prioritization of traditional recipes and methods in the bar industry.
History
The cockt ...
.
He is the founding president of
the Museum of the American Cocktail
The Museum of the American Cocktail, based in New Orleans, Louisiana, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to education in mixology and preserving the rich history of the cocktail as developed in the United States. Among its events are tastings i ...
in New Orleans, and a partner and consultant in the Beverage Alcohol Resource (BAR) group.
The
James Beard Foundation
The James Beard Foundation is a New York City-based national non-profit culinary arts organization named in honor of James Beard, a prolific food writer, teacher, and cookbook author, who was also known as the "Dean of American Cookery." The prog ...
awarded DeGroff the 2009 Wine & Spirits Professional Award, and in 2015 inducted him into the Who's Who in Food & Beverage in America. He received the 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award from Nightclub & Bar Magazine, the 2008
Tales of the Cocktail
Tales of the Cocktail (sometimes shortened to Tales or TotC) is an annual trade conference, festival, and gathering of cocktail and spirits industry professionals in New Orleans, Louisiana. The conference was founded in 2002 by cocktail enthusia ...
Lifetime Achievement Award, and along with his BAR partners,
the 2007 Cheers Beverage Industry Innovator of the Year.
He is the author of two best-selling cocktail books: ''The Essential Cocktail'', winner of the 2009 Tales of the Cocktail Spirit Award for Best New Cocktail/Bartending Book, and ''The Craft of the Cocktail'', winner of the 2003
IACP Julia Child Award in the First Book category.
In 2005 he founded The Museum of the American Cocktail in New Orleans, an eclectic collection of cocktail artifacts, books and memorabilia.
Books
*2002: The Craft of the Cocktail: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Master Bartender, with 500 Recipes . Clarkson Potter.
*2009: The Essential Cocktail (Random House)
External links
*http://www.kingcocktail.com
Notes
* James Beard Awards, 200
References
American bartenders
Living people
Writers from New York City
1948 births
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