Drinkoftheweek started way back in 1999, long before the current cocktail renaissance. It was simple! We loved cocktails, yet it was difficult to find good ones, and when we did, we always ordered the same thing. And, Rachel was going through serious cocktail withdrawal after moving to San Francisco. It’s hard to believe now, but in the 1990’s, the cocktail scene in San Francisco was a bit of a wasteland. Rachel was moving from what was arguably the classic cocktail capital of the United States after the 1960’s came to an end. The bars and supper clubs in Wisconsin were stalwarts of cocktail culture – having never traded in the basics for ferns and flair bartenders. If you wanted a great Old Fashion, Manhattan, Brandy Alexander or Martini, you could pretty much get one at any supper club, bar or home in the state. As a result to imbibe in good cocktails, we started hosting cocktail parties. We bought old recipe books, barware and started squeezing our own citrus. Before long, we were tracking down hard to find ingredients and taking pilgrimages to cocktail temples. It wasn’t long before we decide to start DOTW. Initially, we were just going to send users a cocktail in their email every week. It quickly blossomed and we added articles on how to stock a home bar, espousing the benefit of fresh ingredients and built a database of cocktail recipes. We did this long before cocktails became trendy. Initially, the focus of DOTW was on cocktails. However, we don’t discriminate against other beverages and neither do our readers. We often receive questions about wine and beer. We asked ourselves, “why not expand the site?”

Today, DOTW continues to “send a cocktail in your email” (and post it to Facebook and other places) but we also offer a wide array of information on these “other beverages” as well.

Jonas Halpren

Jonas Halpren is co-founder of Drinkoftheweek.com, one of the first websites dedicated to spirits and cocktails, and co-author of DIY Cocktails, A Simple Guide to Creating Your Own Signature Drinks. Mr. Hapren writes extensively about cocktails, gadgets and the cocktail life at Drinkoftheweek.com and hosts events and classes to educate consumers on wine, spirits and cocktails. Mr. Halpren is an expert at online advertising & social media and has spoken to trade groups, such as the Nightclub & Bar Show. He has judged numerous cocktail competitions and is a graduate of the Pernod Ricard’s Bar Smarts Advanced bartender training program. Mr. Halpren is a member of the United States Bartenders’ Guild and currently sits on the USBG National Social Media Committee.

 

Rachel Nico Halpren

Rachel Nico Halpren is co-founder of Drinkoftheweek.com, one of the first websites dedicated to spirits and cocktails. Mrs. Nico Halpren writes extensively about wine and spirits at Drinkoftheweek.com and hosts events and classes to educate consumers on wine, spirits and cocktails. Mrs. Nico Halpren is a Diploma Candidate with the Wine and Spirit Education Trust, has a certificate in Wine Studies through the Vintage Program at University of California Los Angeles, which is accredited by the University of California Davis, is a Certified Specialist of Wine and Certified Specialist of Spirits with the Society of Wine Educators and a graduate of the Bar Smarts program. Ms. Nico Halpren has judged cocktail competitions and serves as a judge for the prestigious International Wine and Spirits Competition, including winning the Associate Judge of the Year Award for Spirits. Ms. Nico Halpren is a member of the United States Bartender’s Guild and the Society of Wine Educators.