There are few people in the world as well versed in the history of mixed drinks and the culture surrounding them as David Wondrich. A former Shakespeare professor, he’s been an iconic figure in the cocktail world since he began writing about it nearly two decades ago. As Robert Simonson wrote in his history of the modern cocktail revival, A Proper Drink, “[Wondrich] has arguably taught more mixologists how to build classic cocktails than [Dale] DeGroff, Dick Bradsell, and all their disciples put together.”
So what’s the one thing the cocktail historian know now that he wishes he’d known years ago? And what’s the strangest hobby he’s ever had?