Cheers to the Hostess!
Whose welcome is most cordial,
and whose cordial is most welcome.
THE HOSTESS DIARIES
A blog dedicated to the culture of hospitality, as told through the lens of women’s history. Exploring hosting etiquette through the ages, forgotten books and their authors, cocktail inspiration, and an uncommon approach to restaurant reviews. From the desk of celebrated sociologist, writer, and entrepreneur, Dr Nicola Nice.
Free Bonus Chapter: The Cocktail Parlor Guide to New York City
A preview of a bonus chapter from The Cocktail Parlor - A Guide to New York City - available now as a free digital download with all pre-order purchases of the book!
A book about women and cocktail history
In my new book The Cocktail Parlor: How women brought the cocktail home, I explore the social history of the cocktail as it has been served in the home through the eyes of the hosts – or more significantly, the hostesses – who mixed them.
Why I started a library of vintage hosting guides
When I first moved from London to New York City I immediately fell in love with the hospitality culture of the city, and in particular the cocktail scene. Yet when I searched the Internet for information on the history of women and the cocktail, why did it always come up blank?
Welcome to The Hostess Diaries!
To be described as a great host is one of the highest compliments one could ever hope to receive in one’s life. Yet, to be hosted by a great host is surely one of life’s greatest pleasures.
THE COCKTAIL PARLOR
How women brought the cocktail home
Meet the hostesses who have shaped cocktail history, and learn how to make the drinks they loved.
Throughout American history, women have helped propel what we know as classic cocktails—the Martini, the Manhattan, the Old-Fashioned, and more—into popular culture. But, often excluded from private clubs, women exercised this influence from the home, in their cocktail parlors. In The Cocktail Parlor, Dr. Nicola Nice, sociologist and spirits entrepreneur, gives women their long-overdue spotlight in cocktail history and shows how they still impact cocktail culture today.
