Dale DeGroff — the man otherwise known as King Cocktail — is to be inducted into the James Beard Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America this year.
It’s a fitting accolade for the man who has served either as mentor or as inspiration to any number of accomplished bartenders. People like Sasha Petraske of Milk & Honey, Julie Reiner of Brooklyn’s Clover Club — heck, just about anyone who has succeeded in the cocktail world internationally cites DeGroff as a big influence.
DeGroff is often credited with being the godfather of the craft cocktail revival in the United States, and it was his time at New York’s Rainbow Room that saw a refreshed approach to classic cocktails begin — one that has spread throughout New York and out into the wider world.
He’s the author of both The Craft of the Cocktail and Essential Cocktails, and has produced his own line of aromatic pimento bitters.
The James Beard Awards are considered by many to be America’s foremost food and beverage awards. DeGroff will be inducted with another four influential American figures at a ceremony in Chicago on May 4.
