Legacy Of Dale DeGroff.

High above Rockefeller Center, in the glow of the Rainbow Room’s revolving floor and Art Deco splendor, a quiet cocktail revolution began. In the late 1980s and 1990s, bartender Dale DeGroff reintroduced New York to its own forgotten drinking culture. Drawing inspiration from pre-Prohibition recipe books, classic technique, and the elegance of another era, DeGroff transformed the Rainbow Room bar into a temple of balance, restraint, and craft. At a time when neon cocktails and excess ruled, he served drinks that tasted of history: Manhattans with proper dilution, Martinis made cold and clean, and classics resurrected with scholarly care. The Rainbow Room became not just a destination, but a classroom—its influence radiating outward through the bartenders DeGroff trained and the standards he restored.

Fittingly, one of the enduring symbols of this revival is the Nick & Nora glass. Named for the witty, Martini-loving sleuths of The Thin Man movies, the glass echoed the elegance DeGroff championed: smaller, refined, and designed for cocktails meant to be savored, not sloshed. At the Rainbow Room, this glass felt less like barware and more like a prop from a black-and-white film—perfect for drinks with precision and poise. Today, the Original Nick & Nora Glass stands as a quiet tribute to DeGroff’s legacy and to a moment when New York remembered that a great cocktail is not about spectacle, but about proportion, grace, and timeless style.

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