Veronica Hinke

While growing up in northern Wisconsin, Veronica Hinke was intrigued by the story of a third-class Titanic passenger who had lived near her hometown. Dan Coxon (“Popcorn Dan”) was a popcorn vendor and friend to everyone. He did not survive. He inspired years of Titanic research that culminated into the book The Last Night on the Titanic: Unsinkable Drinking, Dining, and Style. For the book, Veronica delved into long-forgotten Edwardian cocktails of the pre-Prohibition years. She worked with Premier Exhibitions to obtain data on liquor, beer, spirits, and wine remnants pulled from Titanic debris sites. “Each bottle provides a peek into the Titanic’s history and helps demystify for us what life was like for people in all three classes,” she said. Hinke’s book also features foods that she traced back to breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus that survived the sinking of the Titanic.