FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE info@MuseumOfTheAmericanCocktail.org www.MuseumOfTheAmericanCocktail.org

Contact: Jill DeGroff jd2design@aol.com (516) 565-4981* *Please do not publish this number - for press inquiries only.

THE MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN COCKTAIL™

TO STIR THINGS UP IN NEW YORK & LAS VEGAS!

NEW YORK - January 3, 2006: The Museum of the American Cocktail is pleased to announce the opening of our new exhibit at COMMANDER’S PALACE, LAS VEGAS March 5–8th to coincide with the 2006 Nightclub & Bar Show. Designed by curator Ted (Dr. Cocktail) Haigh, the exhibit traces the history of the cocktail over the past 200 years and includes vintage cocktail shakers, artwork, vintage ads, barware, Prohibition-era literature, music, and other cocktail memorabilia from the outstanding collections of the Museum’s founders and friends.

The Museum will also open a permanent exhibit this February in New York City at 215 West 28th Street, inside BALANCE, a cocktail lounge appropriately located in what was once a hot 19th century saloon district. The Museum and lounge will be dedicated to presenting classic cocktails and innovations by well-known mixologists. The exhibit will focus on cocktail history in New York, profiling legendary bartenders and saloons while exploring drinks and stories from various eras. Open by appointment only, visitors can view the exhibit and sample period cocktails. In the evening, Balance will offer drinks from significant periods of the cocktail's history as well as modern cocktails created by noted mixologists.

The Museum Mixology Seminar Series will be offered in New York, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, DC, and Boston throughout 2006, presented by leading mixologists around the country. For a list of seminars visit: http://www.museumoftheamericancocktail.org/seminars/

COCKTAIL 200™, a celebration of the cocktail's 200th birthday is coming this May! Sponsored by The Museum of the American Cocktail and the USBG, COCKTAIL 200™ and the First Annual American Cocktail Awards™ will take place on May 13, 2006 at the Aladdin Hotel just a few steps from our new exhibit at Commander’s Palace, Las Vegas. DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: April 1st, 2006. For more information visit: http://www.Cocktail200.com

Tales of the Cocktail returns to New Orleans July 19-23, 2006. The fourth annual event will feature seminars, book signings, cooking and cocktail mixing demos, dinner pairings and cocktail parties-- all presented by the country’s hottest chefs, authors, bartenders and cocktail experts.

The Museum’s Katrina Fund: To date we've received more than 80% of reported donations from participants, totaling over $57,500, which has been donated to the New Orleans Hospitality Workers Disaster Relief Fund, managed by Greater Houston Community Fund.

Promoting Tourism back to New Orleans: New Orleans Barman, Chris McMillian will be instrumental in encouraging tourism back to NOLA while representing the Museum at major events throughout 2006.

Founded by Dale DeGroff, Jill DeGroff, Anistatia Miller, Jared Brown, Ted Haigh, Robert Hess, Phil Greene, Chris McMillian, and a host of passionate spirits experts and historians, The Museum of the American Cocktail™ is a nonprofit organization that provides education in mixology and preserves the rich history of the cocktail. For more information email info@museumoftheamericancocktail.org. Press inquiries only: call Jill DeGroff at 516-565-4981

Saluting a Great American Tradition An Educated and Responsible Approach to the Art of the Cocktail