Dale DeGroff

Location: Long Island, N.Y.

Known as King Cocktail, Dale DeGroff is renowned for having sparked the modern cocktail renaissance while helming the bar program at the Rainbow Room in the 1980s and ’90s. He has written two books, received a lifetime achievement award at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards and been inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America.

Experience

Frequently referred to as the father of modern mixology, DeGroff revived pre-Prohibition-era cocktail recipes and introduced drinkers to quality ingredients such as fresh fruit juice in cocktails rather than the artificial sour mix ubiquitous at the time. Since then, he has become a mentor to many bartenders who have themselves gone on to become pinnacles of the cocktail industry.

He’s the founding president of the Museum of the American Cocktail (now part of the Southern Food & Beverage Museum) in New Orleans. He also co-founded the Beverage Alcohol Resource (BAR), which provides training and education to bar-industry professionals. He created Dale DeGroff's Aromatic Pimento Bitters, as well as a soon-to-be-released amaro.

Awards and Publications

2018 Wine Enthusiast Cocktail Legend Award
2015 James Beard Foundation Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America
2008 Tales of the Cocktail Foundation Helen David Lifetime Achievement Award
Author of “The Essential Cocktail” (2009 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award for Best New Cocktail/Bartending Book) and “The Craft of the Cocktail” (2002 IACP Julia Child Award)

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