Authors Cody McDevitt and Sean Enright are serving Pittsburgh something a little stiffer for their bedtime reading.
Their book, Pittsburgh Drinks: A History of Cocktails, Nightlife & Bartending Tradition, is now available, after years of work, and months of promotion.
The book is a guide to Pittsburgh’s captivating drinking history, intertwined with profiles and recipes from the bartenders currently making their mark on Pittsburgh’s drinking scene.
The project was completed in collaboration between McDevitt and Enright after they met via Twitter, and realized the benefit that the solo projects they were currently working on could gain from each other’s work. McDevitt is a journalist for the Somerset Daily American, and also actively works on the Rosedale Oral History Project. Enright is a longtime vet of Pittsburgh’s bar and restaurant scene, working as a wine director and bartender through Pittsburgh’s cocktail renaissance of the last few years.
Pittsburghers are welcome to celebrate the launch of the book with a drink in hand, and discuss Pittsburgh’s drinking with the authors. Two book release parties are planned for Monday, March 27 at Spirit in Lawrenceville, and Friday, March 31 at Wigle Whiskey in the Strip District.
We caught up with McDevitt and Enright to learn a little more about their book, and collect some nuggets of drinking wisdom they’ve gathered during their work on Pittsburgh Drinks. Cheers!
What is Pittsburgh Drinks?
Cody McDevitt: It is a cultural history of Pittsburgh’s nightlife, with recipes from some of Pittsburgh’s most talented bartenders, and one of its most talented chefs. It’s not just about the gastropubs of today, but also Pittsburgh’s discotheques, night clubs, and rocks clubs. It is much larger than a cocktail history. It is an entire narrative history of Pittsburgh nightlife.
Can you take me back to when the idea for this book began?
CM: Pittsburgh has this reputation that for the past 120 years, we haven’t had a cocktail, and I knew that wasn’t an accurate view of history. I was doing the research on it, and was sharing articles and tagging Sean. He said, “Why don’t we work on something together?” I thought there was a value with working with someone who is in the scene since I was an outsider.
What were your roles in Pittsburgh Drinks?
Sean Enright: I had worked for several years previously compiling a Pittsburgh cocktail recipe book from all Pittsburgh’s top bartenders. When I began talking to Cody we realized that a History book with a spotlight on Pittsburgh’s current talent would gain us a larger readership, so we combined forces. I continued to collect and edit recipes from some 70+ local bartenders from the top cocktail spots.
CM: I had the history, he had the recipes, and we had to figure out how to make it the book. Basically, it is a history with recipes and profiles on different Pittsburgh bartenders.
When did drinking become more than a hobby, and where did the interest for the book come from?
CM: I was always going into bars, and I was plugged into it. I guess you always have a desire to be seen as someone who can speak esoterically. I started going into the database of Pittsburgh newspapers and reconstructing the Speakeasy era. Then, I began tracking down the movers and shakers in the Pittsburgh bar scene.
SE: As I said, I started this book about four years ago. But really it became a profession 20 years ago while working in different restaurants. I always had an affinity for the bar side of service industry. I started out as a wine director for Café Allegro, Casbah, Soba & Eleven, but wanted to do something more creative than just building award-winning wine lists. That’s when right about the time we started reading about craft cocktail bars in industry magazines, and eventually we had our own at Embury in the Strip District. Embury gave me an opportunity to get first-hand knowledge of how to craft specialty cocktails and eventually I took a position there as the lead bartender.
Was there one time period that you found particularly interesting?
CM: They were all interesting for different reasons. The Speakeasy era was like the wild west of Pittsburgh. Throughout the Depression and World War II, there was still a thriving cocktail scene. That evolved into a beatnik hippie era in the 50s and 60s. In the 70s you had the disco and rock clubs in Oakland, like the Decade, Graffiti, and the Electric Banana. Today’s era traces the history from Lava Lounge to Butcher and the Rye.
Have you seen anything in the drinking scene that is unique to Pittsburgh ?
CM: There can be a dichotomy of old Pittsburgh, and new Pittsburgh here. New Pittsburgh can be really similar to New York, D.C. and Los Angeles, but then there is old Pittsburgh, which really reflects our roots. Both are interesting, and cities are always evolving, so it is interesting to see what we will become.
SE: I always compare our bar scene to our music scene. We kinda exist in a vacuum where we don’t have easy access to the larger cities and their innovation, just like we miss many touring acts in the music scene. Therefore our bartenders have an innovative spirit that bolsters their creativity level. Also, having our blue-collar steel city background, our customer service has always been exemplary.
Are there any drinking traditions you wish Pittsburgh would adopt?
SE: We’re hostage to the product we can get in the state of Pennsylvania, but we’ve seen tremendous growth over the last few years. I hope we’ll see more sake, shochu, amari cocktails. We could always use more Tiki bars.
Any locals places you are a big fan of? Do you tend to go to more dives, or bigger bars?
SE: I love all the Rick Deshantz spots, Tako, Meat & Potatoes, Butcher & Rye. Also Hidden Harbor in Squirrel Hill is a favorite, and Acacia in South Side. I do love my dive and neighborhood bars, and you’re more likely to catch me at Tiki Lounge, Dee’s Café, Carrick Lit Club, Bud’s or Kelly’s more than anywhere else.
Any bars you think in Pittsburgh you think are unique?
CM: Smokin’ Joe’s Saloon in the South Side, and I think Butcher and the Rye is a unique bar with an interesting culture. Sienna Mercato would be another because everyone seems to want to go there after a baseball game.
If you’ve had a long day, what drink do you reach for?
SE: I love a Sazerac. It’s a simple cocktail with very complex flavors. It’s easy to make if the bartender makes an effort to pay attention to every detail.
CM: I don’t drink every day, but craft beer is often my choice. If I made a drink at home, it would probably be an Old Fashioned.
Do you have a greatest night out?
SE: To me a great night out is hanging out with friends in a bar, talking, shooting pool, throwing darts, drinking Guinness and Chartreuse.
Any 21st birthday advice?
SE: Yes! Drink good drinks! Start your education early.
CM: Don’t overdo it. It never pays to overdo it. My dad told me that, and it is probably a really true piece of advice.
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