Maneful was officially founded in 2018 by Jonathan Page and Sean Williamson to sell cocktail recipe cards to home bartenders, but the events that led to its creation date back much further…Â Â
- 2008 – Sean moves to Washington, DC, where his friend Jonathan introduces him to its burgeoning cocktail scene. Why hasn’t he tried drinks like this before?
- 2012 – Sean begins making cocktails at home, but finds himself frustrated with cocktail books. There are so many drinks to choose from – where does he start? And why are there six different recipes for a vodka martini?Â
- 2014 – Sean begins making cocktails for his friends, but his friends don’t know what they want. He sees their eyes glaze over while browsing his cocktail books for inspiration, and they don’t know what half the ingredients are anyway. Isn’t there a better way to introduce people to new drinks that you’re confident they will enjoy? Sean begins complaining to anyone that will listen. Â
- 2016 – Jonathan grows tired of Sean’s complaining, and suggests that they do something about it. Jonathan and Sean begin brainstorming an alternative to traditional recipe books that is more curated, interactive, and descriptive. Many drinks are made in the name of market research.
- 2017 – A prototype is born! Jonathan and Sean give samples of the Fundamental Cocktails recipe card deck to friends and family, and continue experimenting with recipe variants. Â
- April 2018 – Jonathan and Sean officially become co-founders of Maneful LLC, your resource for home bartending. They get a website and a cool logo. They collect feedback on the prototype and continue to iterate, iterate, iterate. Â
- December 2018 – Fundamental Cocktails officially launches. Home bartenders rejoice. People looking for the perfect gift for their friends and family breathe a sigh of relief. All is well in the universe. Â