Why Modern Classic Cocktails Stopped After 2012 and Why You Should Care Now with Robert Simonson | 125

Robert Simonson, author of seven cocktail books including “A Proper Drink,” and "Modern Classic Cocktails", has spent twenty-five years documenting the modern cocktail era as it happened. Not reconstructed afterwards. Not filtered through brand mythology or oral history passed between generations of sales managers. 

He was in the room. He talked to the people making the decisions while the bars were still open and the drinks were still new. Seven books. 
His Substack newsletter The Mix. A primary source in an industry where almost everything gets retold until it resembles something useful to whoever is telling it.

In this episode, we go back to the question that most people in commercial roles cannot answer precisely: why did the canon close, and what replaced it. We examine the intimidation factor preventing cocktail culture from scaling to mass audiences, the missing middle between 50 Best Bars theatrical experiences and basic dive bars, and why guest shifts evolved from knowledge-sharing mechanisms into publicity machines.

The answer is mechanical. It has been running inside the industry for over a decade. And if your brand is not scaling at the pace you want, despite the distribution, the accounts, and the activations, it is likely the same dynamic is producing the same result at a different scale.

This Episode is hosted by Chris Maffeo and brought to you by MAFFEO DRINKS.

MAFFEO DRINKS is a leading drinks business podcast, listened to in 120 countries with 130+ episodes. How the industry actually works, from the bar and what it means for the boardroom.

Wanna know what the conversation above means for your team? It's in the paid section.

You get access to Maffeo Confidential (Private Podcast), this analysis, and the full catalog of 130+ episodes, each one translating industry conversation into the commercial decisions underneath it. Find out more at maffeodrinks.com or on Substack.