Cocktail Titan Sasha Petraske Found Dead

Visionary bar owner and drink maker Sasha Petraske was found dead in Hudson, NY earlier today, the Times reports. His wife, journalist Georgette Moger, discovered the body. The cause of death is unknown. Petraske was residing in Hudson while working on a consulting project. He was 42.

A native New Yorker, Petraske helped kickstart the craft cocktail movement with the opening of his speakeasy-style bar Milk & Honey in 1999. Over the years, he was also a partner in popular cocktail parlors Little Branch, Dutch Kills, and Middle Branch. Petraske moved Milk & Honey to 23rd Street in 2013, but closed it when the building was sold. He also brought Milk & Honey to London in 2002. Robert Simonson notes: "Many bartenders who have become leaders in the cocktail industry began [their] careers at Petraske bars."