The last four years have been very busy for us at The Hour. When I started this new concept store, one “dedicated to all things cocktail,” I hoped that our customers would be interested in the very best quality cocktail items available in the marketplace, both new and old. I feel our customers are truly surprised by our vast curated collection of vintage glass and barware items, most of which were made here in the U.S. from the 1920s to the 1970s. Most interesting to me is seeing how individuals entertained and enjoyed a good drink at home. I truly believe that the renaissance taking place today in the cocktail world, both in terms of the craft spirits being created and the increasing societal interest in them and in home entertaining, draws its inspiration from this past.
In keeping with the theme of The Hour, we’ve encouraged this continued interest in “all things cocktail” by holding numerous tasting parties at our store that have introduced our customers to our talented bevy of local bartenders and their craft cocktails. I also recently wrote my first book, Capitol Cocktails, that explores the historical and current cocktail revolution taking place in the DC metropolitan area and features 24 of our best bartenders and their DC-related drinks.
Given the growing rise in interest for our vintage glassware and barware, The Hour expanded last fall to two new locations. Our customers can now find us truly from coast to coast! Our new locations include boutique stores in Neiman Marcus, Beverly Hills, California and Neiman Marcus, Coral Gables, Florida.
In our efforts to keep giving our customers what they want, I decided that it’s finally time to start my cocktail blog. My goal is simple: to keep you informed of interesting cocktail events, new and vintage finds, tell you why I think you’ll find these items cocktail worthy, and to periodically give you pieces of cocktail history that I’ve picked up along the way in hope that you will continue to enjoy a great cocktail at home.
Cheers,
Victoria
