The Museum of the American Cocktail was founded by a group of bartenders, collectors, historians, and writers on the subject of alcoholic mixed drinks. It is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing education in mixology and preserving over two-hundred years of cocktail history. Despite its seemingly frivolous nature, this is a serious organization. They sponsor seminars, have permanent exhibits located in Las Vegas and New York (with a location in New Orleans as well), and have corporate sponsors. The website has a gift shop, which sells publication such as Shaken Not Stirred: A Celebration of the Martini.
The museum has members, who are allowed to log in to the site and can apparently gain access to special sections; there are different levels of membership, from $35 per year for bartenders and students, to corporate sponsors for $14,000 per year, to a “Patron” level for $20,000 per year or more. As I am not a member, I could only check out the free part of the website. It includes a virtual exhibit, on the evolution of the cocktail.
Selection Decisions
The exhibit consists largely of advertisements, cocktail recipes, and scans of woodcuts and photographs dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Also featured are certain curiosities and items of interest. All of the materials used in the exhibit belong to a collector. The earliest known usage of the term “cocktail”, for example, was in a Hudson, New York newspaper in 1806. The first mixed-drinks preparation manual was published in 1862. Sections of each of these items appear in the exhibit. There is also an item regarding an advertisement for Absinthe featuring a likeness of stage actress Sarah Bernhardt, who, not approving of the use of her image, took the company to court.
Metadata
Metadata is nonexistent. There is some textual explanation of some of the images, but no systematic description of anything located on the site.
Object Characteristics
The images were scanned as both GIFs and JPEGs. The images are fairly small, some of them only somewhat larger than thumbnails. One is not able to view larger versions of the images.
Intended Audience
The exhibit, as well as the entire website, exists to attract new members to the museum. Clearly, the people involved in it enjoy what they are doing, and they seek to attract like-minded people to their venture. The treatment they provide to the subject is more than superficial. However, anyone who wants to conduct serious research will need to join the museum, at which time they presumably will have greater access to the museum’s resources.
The museum has members, who are allowed to log in to the site and can apparently gain access to special sections; there are different levels of membership, from $35 per year for bartenders and students, to corporate sponsors for $14,000 per year, to a “Patron” level for $20,000 per year or more. As I am not a member, I could only check out the free part of the website. It includes a virtual exhibit, on the evolution of the cocktail.
Selection Decisions
The exhibit consists largely of advertisements, cocktail recipes, and scans of woodcuts and photographs dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Also featured are certain curiosities and items of interest. All of the materials used in the exhibit belong to a collector. The earliest known usage of the term “cocktail”, for example, was in a Hudson, New York newspaper in 1806. The first mixed-drinks preparation manual was published in 1862. Sections of each of these items appear in the exhibit. There is also an item regarding an advertisement for Absinthe featuring a likeness of stage actress Sarah Bernhardt, who, not approving of the use of her image, took the company to court.
Metadata
Metadata is nonexistent. There is some textual explanation of some of the images, but no systematic description of anything located on the site.
Object Characteristics
The images were scanned as both GIFs and JPEGs. The images are fairly small, some of them only somewhat larger than thumbnails. One is not able to view larger versions of the images.Intended Audience
The exhibit, as well as the entire website, exists to attract new members to the museum. Clearly, the people involved in it enjoy what they are doing, and they seek to attract like-minded people to their venture. The treatment they provide to the subject is more than superficial. However, anyone who wants to conduct serious research will need to join the museum, at which time they presumably will have greater access to the museum’s resources.
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