Atlanta Mixologist Tiffanie Barriere Serves Her Seasonal Cocktails with a Side of History

"When you know more, drinks taste better," says Tiffanie Barriere. While working at a high-end bar at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, she became as renowned for her animated stories about ingredients and techniques as for her inventive recipes. When the pandemic hit, Barriere—who's now an independent mixologist known as The Drinking Coach—homed in on something she felt would have a bigger impact: the African American influence on cocktails.

"I wanted to raise a glass to those who helped execute some of our favorite drinks and never had the pleasure of being recognized for their talents," she says. On Instagram, she writes about beverage geniuses like John Dabney (a 19th-century Richmond, Virginia, bartender who was beloved for his mint juleps) and Jupiter Evans (an enslaved man who helmed the cider making at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello). Here, Barriere celebrates spring with delicious drinks that toast some of the season's herbaceous bounty.