Craft cocktail movement

[3] It has no clear single origin, though it was largely influenced by three previous food-and-beverage movements: the Culinary Revolution of the 1970s and 1980s (a reaction to the processed foods of postwar America, which also influenced the wine and beer industries), the rise of the craft beer industry, and the rising popularity of the internet and social media.

[2] Among the movement's early pioneers was bartender Dale DeGroff, who in the 1980s began popularizing classic cocktails and creating new ones with premium ingredients and fresh-squeezed juice (long out of fashion at the time).

DeGroff was working at The Rainbow Room for Joe Baum, who himself had pioneered in the culinary world in the 1950s and 1960s with the Four Seasons and the Fonda del Sol.

[2] Baum told DeGroff to read Jerry Thomas's 1862 How to Mix Drinks, which had elements of bartending long forgotten in the U.S. by that time.

The event initially hoped to introduce cocktail book writers to their readers, though by 2017 it began to host about 20,000 attendees from across the world, and had its own international roadshow and membership program.

[2] In the 2000s, proteges of Dale DeGroff and Sasha Petraske opened bars in New York City, and a parallel movement took place on the U.S. West Coast, especially around San Francisco.

[2] By 2017, bars across America offered negronis and daiquiris, made with competent techniques, fresh juices, homemade syrups, refrigerated vermouth, and high-quality spirits.

[3] "Craft cocktails" began being added into corporate restaurant chains menus, including Chili's, Denny's, and Ruby Tuesday.

[2] The craft cocktail movement is characterized by a return to traditions, a revival of old recipes, a reintroduction of forgotten spirits, and a revisiting of the culture of "sophisticated cocktail-sipping".

A "craft cocktail" can be defined as a drink made from quality liquors consciously chosen by its creator, with fresh-squeezed juices and the like, and cold and dense ice.

[2][6] In contrast, the Ramos gin fizz had survived the "dark ages of mixology" as a decadent drink for Sunday brunches.