A. As far as the modern New York City cocktail scene, the first “proper’’ cocktail bar was Angel Share, which opened over 15 years ago. Milk & Honey opened in 2000, Flatiron Lounge in 2003, Employees Only, Pegu Club, and Little Branch opened around 2005, and Death & Co. and PDT opened in 2007. It went from a couple new bars a year to exponential growth after PDT.
Q. We’re bombarded with cocktail culture now, so it seems like we’ve been talking about this stuff forever, but even in 2007 a bar like PDT, with serious takes on classic cocktail recipes, and a hidden entrance you had to find, was still a novelty, right?
A. PDT was definitely a novelty in 2007 and remains so to this day. Every night many customers, including New Yorkers, come to my bar for the first time. We’ve been the beneficiary of a great deal of attention in the media, but many have never heard of us or ever had a great cocktail.
Q. What made PDT become so beloved in the bar world?
A. I think the easiest answer to that question, because it’s not simple, is that some bars court celebrities, some athletes, some beautiful girls. . . . There are bars that have their ideal audience. I think our bar has always celebrated chefs and bartenders and taken care of our own.
Q. There are people who still think of craft cocktails as a fad. What do you say to disabuse them of that notion?
A. The culture and number of places you can find a great drink has grown by leaps and bounds, but we still have a long way to go. As far as calling this all a fad, the size of cocktail-focused forums such as Liquor.com, magazines such as CLASS in the UK, international conventions such as Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans, drink demos on national TV, and this year’s first ever James Beard Award for a drinks program suggest otherwise. With that said, it’s important that we not be overconfident or complacent with our progress. The growth we’ve experienced won’t continue without the right attitude. We’re only as good as our last drink and customer served.
Q. Why’d you choose the Hawthorne for your event in Boston?
