SPECIAL THANKS

To my wife, Jill, whose art has surrounded us with beauty, thank you for your patience, your thoughts, and your suggestions as they eased me through a long and difficult process.

A huge thank you to Audrey Saunders for providing the classic Pegu Club lounge as the venue for the photography. We made good use of every table and the stunning bar as the backdrop for some great photography. To Cocktail Kingdom for supplying the glassware and the Café Brûlot apparatus. To photographer Daniel Krieger, it was an honor to work with you. I marveled at your relaxed approach each day; we never rushed but somehow we managed twelve to fifteen setups a day and ended up with stunning pictures. To Robert Oppenheimer, my old friend and general manager of the Pegu Club, for your support during the days of the photo shoot. And to Pegu Club bartender Raul Flores for your careful drink preparations and the creative garnish suggestions. It was a pleasure to work with such an accomplished professional. To Kenta Goto for your generous hospitality in offering Bar Goto as a venue for our final few photos.

Thank you to the team at Random House and Clarkson Potter, especially to Angelin Borsics for guiding me through the publishing world, which, even after my third immersion, still feels like a foreign country that I am visiting for the first time. To Ian Dingman, thank you for the dancing font that gives the pages a fun, lively look. The cocktail has become more culinary, but it still remains a diversion for the weary and work-worn masses. To Joyce Wong for her editorial expertise, and to Jessica Heim for proofing the images and producing a beautiful book. To Anthony Giglio for his invaluable help in condensing the first edition into one book!

To Ron Holland for introducing me to the New York City bar and grill. To Gerry Holland for his memory. To Abbie Schiller for the title. To Cynthia Fagan for giving me the King cocktail moniker that has become my trademark. To Brian Rea for opening his library to me and for all his support over the years. To Harry, Zane, and Arnold for their wonderful stories from my Hotel Bel-Air bar days. I’ve been dining out for years on those stories! To my family for their love and their meatballs! And to the bar staff from my Rainbow Room days. And to all my customers over the years for their thirst and their good cheer.

And a special thanks to Joe Baum for taking me to a place where troubles melt like lemon drops…