Drinking, Fast and Slow: A Behavioral Scientist’s Guide To Summer Cocktails

Our commitment to bringing our readers the best insights from the labs and offices of leading researchers, practitioners, and journalists often reminds us that the behavioral science world is just like any other community. We fall in love. We (try to) tell jokes. We also like to kick back and enjoy a cocktail from time to time.

So when Alison Buttenheim, one of our founding columnists, put out a call for behavioral-insights inspired cocktail recipes this past April for an upcoming event, the behavioral science community answered the call. Dozens of budding mixologists proposed curious concoctions to delight an audience of behavioral scientists.

In the spirit of keeping you refreshed and inspired all summer long, we teamed up with our friends at ideas42 to create a handy guide to six of our favorite cocktails drawing on a deep understanding of the behavioral science literature, a series of not at all rigorous taste tests, and a large quantity of ice.

We hope you enjoy our small selection of summer cocktail recipes at your next happy hour, barbecue, mixer, retreat, or conference. Share your own high-proof (or no-proof) sips or shots with us on Twitter using #behavioralcocktails. Cheers to drinking, fast and slow!

Disclosure: ideas42 is a founding partner of the Behavioral Scientist.