The Master Distiller's Book Club - The Deans of Drink, Episode 2

In episode five of the Master Distiller’s Podcast, we’re getting to know Harry Johnson. As one of the founding fathers of American drinks, you’d be forgiven for thinking Harry was just that - an American. You’d be mistaken, as Jared’s co-author Anistatia Miller explains ‘Harry Johnson is probably the most significant person in the development of what became the golden age of American cocktails, which is a period between 1860 and 1919. What is fascinating about Harry Johnson is that he represents one key point that people forget about the development of the American cocktail. He was German.’

A bar manager and operator and a bartender, Harry Johnson’s Bartenders’ Manual is essential reading for cocktail enthusiasts worldwide. His meticulous approach to running a bar and obsessive care for his craft would lose him his wife but earned him enduring acclaim and a place on bookshelves worldwide. ‘Harry Johnson, I would like to thank you for leaving us such a wonderful legacy in the form of your magnificent book with 135 pages on bar management alone, and then all of your lovely recipes, thank you for breaking ground for us, for paving the way, for giving us great shoulders to stand on.’ says Jared.