Women have shaped cocktail culture from the beginning. For Women’s History Month, we wanted to highlight a few of the women (and their drinks) that have left an unforgettable mark on how we think about and enjoy cocktails. From creating new recipes to pioneering the spirits industry, we raise a glass to the women that have made the cocktail world what it is today.
Coley’s Hanky Panky
Ada “Coley†Coleman is famous for being one of the foremost women bartenders in London by the early 1900s. She wooed patrons with her wit and creativity for over two decades. One day, a regular came in and asked for something different than the usual. She whipped up a gin concoction that the patron called, “…a real hanky-panky!†The name stuck, and so did Coley’s influence on the cocktail world.
Joy’s Old Fashioned
Joy Perrine was one part bartender, one part author and known as The Bad Girl of Bourbon. She helped put Louisville on the map as a go-to bourbon destination. She also helped turn many faithful whiskey drinkers into bourbon connoisseurs. Try her old fashioned recipe and it might do the same to you.
Joy’s Cocktail
Joy Spence isn’t just one of the most influential women master blenders. She’s the first woman to become a master blender in the spirits industry. Her chemistry background and love of cocktails gave her a unique approach to blending rum at Appleton Estate in Jamaica. And her classic rum cocktail is one of the best in the world.
Audrey’s Pegu Club
The cocktail culture revival in New York City owes a lot of thanks to Audrey Saunders. Her Pegu Club was a premier spot for new and classic cocktails alike — along with being a welcoming place for creative conversations. While COVID-19 caused the bar to close down, Audrey’s influence on mixology and her Pegu Club cocktail live on.
Events
Bourbon County to Bourbon Street – Classroom Experience
While Kentucky may be the home of bourbon, New Orleans has played an important part in its story. Whiskey traveled down the Mississippi to New Orleans, where bartenders used it to craft classic cocktails. Travelers to the city have enjoyed whiskey, especially when sipping it on Bourbon Street. Join drinks historian Elizabeth Pearce and learn how to make signature whiskey cocktails, while hearing how whiskey became America’s spirit. 21+ only.
The Weller Classroom Experience
Step into the story of one of bourbon’s most enduring families and discover how William Larue Weller helped pioneer the wheated style that would later inspire the Van Winkle legacy. This guided tasting explores four expressions—Special Reserve, Antique 107, Full Proof, and 12 Year—tracing Weller’s journey from the days of the Stitzel-Weller Distillery through the industry’s quiet decades of the 1970s and 1980s to its modern revival under Buffalo Trace. Guests will nose, taste, and compare each whiskey in an elegant classroom setting, uncovering how proof, age, and history intertwine to shape the signature richness of Weller and the heritage of American bourbon. Open to guests 21+ only.
Bourbon County to Bourbon Street – Classroom Experience
While Kentucky may be the home of bourbon, New Orleans has played an important part in its story. Whiskey traveled down the Mississippi to New Orleans, where bartenders used it to craft classic cocktails. Travelers to the city have enjoyed whiskey, especially when sipping it on Bourbon Street. Join drinks historian Elizabeth Pearce and learn how to make signature whiskey cocktails, while hearing how whiskey became America’s spirit. 21+ only.
The Weller Classroom Experience
Step into the story of one of bourbon’s most enduring families and discover how William Larue Weller helped pioneer the wheated style that would later inspire the Van Winkle legacy. This guided tasting explores four expressions—Special Reserve, Antique 107, Full Proof, and 12 Year—tracing Weller’s journey from the days of the Stitzel-Weller Distillery through the industry’s quiet decades of the 1970s and 1980s to its modern revival under Buffalo Trace. Guests will nose, taste, and compare each whiskey in an elegant classroom setting, uncovering how proof, age, and history intertwine to shape the signature richness of Weller and the heritage of American bourbon. 21+ only.
The Weller Classroom Experience
Step into the story of one of bourbon’s most enduring families and discover how William Larue Weller helped pioneer the wheated style that would later inspire the Van Winkle legacy. This guided tasting explores four expressions—Special Reserve, Antique 107, Full Proof, and 12 Year—tracing Weller’s journey from the days of the Stitzel-Weller Distillery through the industry’s quiet decades of the 1970s and 1980s to its modern revival under Buffalo Trace. Guests will nose, taste, and compare each whiskey in an elegant classroom setting, uncovering how proof, age, and history intertwine to shape the signature richness of Weller and the heritage of American bourbon. 21+ only.
