Atlanta’s cocktail culture is expanding beyond traditional spirits, with the rise of zero-proof beverages and non-alcoholic drinks. In this month’s Beverage Beat segment on “City Lights,” Beth McKibben, editor in chief and dining editor at Rough Draft Atlanta, discusses the history of women behind the bar.
“The term ‘bartender’ was almost exclusively reserved for men. Instead, women in the same role were referred to as ‘barmaids’, considered a suitable title for women in a profession that many people felt walked a murky line between morality and making an honest living,” said McKibben.
One notable woman who created a craft cocktail we enjoy today is Ada Coleman, the inventor of the “Hanky Panky Cocktail.”
“Coleman was the head bartender at the famed American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London from 1903 to 1925, leading a team of men and one other woman bartender, Ruth Burgess,” said McKibben.
Hanky Panky calls for:
