Teaching history through the making of a cocktail

    HARLAN -- In order to bring more awareness to the Shelby County Historical Museum, the museum and The Lounge are partnering up for Cocktails and Collections, an event where history and alcohol collide.
    Bar Owner Don Kaufman will give a demonstration and lecture on the makings and history of old timey drinks. At the same time, Shelby County Historical Museum Grants and Development Coordinator Lauren Jones will have artifacts from the museum on display that apply to the demonstration, along with historical alcohol bottles.  
    Taking place at The Lounge at 7 p.m. on July 28, Kaufman will show attendees how to concoct historical drinks he still serves in the bar today. Among the boozy lineup is an Old Fashioned — hello Don Draper — a Tom Collins, a Moscow Mule, and a Smith and Kearns. Kaufman will lay out the ingredients, make the drinks — possibly multiple selections of the drinks — in one-to-two-ounce servings. Then, it’s time to say cheers and taste test the beverages.
    “So, you can not only see how it’s made, you can taste it and if you like it, you can then make that for yourself at home or order one from the bartender,” Kaufman said with a laugh.
    While making the drinks, Kaufman will tell the story of each beverage’s inception. Most of them came into existence in the 19th century, though the Moscow Mule is a different story, having not come on the scene until 1941.
    To remedy the fact that people were not drinking vodka in the 1940s, Jack Morgan and John G. Martin invented the Moscow Mule, Kaufman explained. Served in a mule mug with vodka, ginger beer, and topped off with limes, the drink remains a classic for vodka fans.

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