00:00 Bars have been around for a very long time, but the first established bars popped up around the turn of the millennium in Italy, specifically in Pompeii, and were essentially hot snack bars that served wine.

05:16 Bars originated in ancient Rome as a place for tradesmen to celebrate not getting murdered on the Roman road, and the oldest bar in the world, Sean's in Athelone, Ireland, was founded in 900 CE and was frequented by Vikings.

10:34 Bars became popular in the United States in the 1800s when a law was passed allowing people to drink without staying in a hotel, and they quickly became a center of civic life and politics, with politicians even using alcohol to get voters drunk on election day.

15:15 The first celebrity bartender, Erasmus Willard, was known for being ambidextrous and having a photographic memory, and he paved the way for Jerry Thomas, who was flamboyant and known for his signature drink, the blue blazer, and wrote the first bartender's guide in 1862.

20:21 During the time of Jerry Thomas, drinking became a popular and legitimate activity, but the temperance movement and prohibition had a negative impact on the bartending industry and the quality of alcohol, leading to the rise of illegal speakeasies and dangerous, sometimes deadly, alcohol.

25:32 Women started going to bars, which men thought was great, and this led to the rise of speakeasies and illegal operations, with some bars even having gender-specific laws until the 1980s, and the introduction of fern bars in the 1970s.

30:46 Craftsmanship in bartending was revived when Dale DeGroff introduced real ingredients and got rid of artificial ones, bringing back the use of real fruit in drinks like they did in the 19th century.

35:34 Jerry Thomas was a very influential figure in the history of cocktails, and his work eventually led to the creation of classic cocktails like the martini and the Manhattan.

40:25 The daiquiri was invented in Cuba by an American working in mines, who mixed rum, lime, and sugar to create the drink, while the mojito is believed to be the oldest cocktail in the world, originally made with mint, soda water, sweetener, and rum to mask the taste of bad-tasting rum-like drinks consumed by pirates in the 16th century.

45:35 The podcast discusses the origins of the Caesar cocktail and Canadian whiskey, including how Canadian Club whiskey got its name due to a law passed by the US Congress.

51:04 Canadian Club whiskey hid 25 cases around the world from 1965 to 1980, with some cases still undiscovered, and people can try to find them if they have the time and money.