Mission Statement

The Museum of the American Cocktail is a nonprofit organization which seeks to celebrate a true American cultural icon, the American Cocktail. Having roots in New Orleans, the American cocktail has influenced music, theater, art, film, and politics around the world during its two-century-old history. Founded by the King of Cocktails, Dale DeGroff, and a host of the world's most passionate cocktail authorities and historians, the Museum of the American Cocktail seeks to elevate both professional and consumer knowledge of mixology through exhibits, classes and tasting sessions, as well as publications and multimedia presentations. Our goals are: To establish a non-profit museum and tourist attraction that celebrates and preserves a rich aspect of American culture; the American cocktail, in an environment reminiscent of the great cocktail palaces that flourished toward the end of the nineteenth century. To establish a permanent exhibition space that will discover, collect, and preserve original and source materials illustrative of the American Cocktail and its influence on the world's beverage industry. To undertake an education program to promote and stimulate public interest in the appreciation of American Cocktail, while sampling classic cocktails at an authentic turn-of-the-century bar-The Professor Jerry Thomas Bar™. To educate both professionals and the public in the fine art of crafting the cocktail through a series of mixology seminars conducted by the world's foremost authorities on cocktail history and American cocktails. To disseminate knowledge about the Cocktail and mixology through the preparation, editing, and publication of historical materials descriptive and illustrative of these areas, especially through an annual journal, newsletter, annotated reproductions of classic cocktail books, and original works written by the world's authorities on the subject, many of whom are the museum's founders. To acquire and offer for research purposes a library of literature on the subjects of cocktails, spirits, and drinking in both paper and digital form, housed in the museum's permanent location. To reach out to the New Orleans community through activities and events which will enlighten its citizenry about this integral part of the city's history. To broaden career opportunities for young people who are interested in careers in the bar service or spirits industry and encourage more participation from women and members of under-represented groups in the mixology field.