Henry McNulty was born to American parents in China in 1913. He returned to the States for his education and became a war correspondent during World War II, which took him around Europe and gave him the opportunity to gather observations on the drinking habits of different countries. He began working for the drinks industry in the 1950s as a PR consultant, later progressing to a career in drinks journalism. Henry wrote for publications including House & Garden and Gourmet before landing a regular wine and spirits column in Vogue, some of which were abridged for the first edition of Vogue Cocktails. He also authored Vogue A-Z of Wine, One for the Road (a guide to non-alcoholic drinks) and Drinking in Vogue. Henry came to be considered as a trusted authority on drinks and a cocktail aficionado.

Vogue is an internationally prestigious luxury brand with an estimated international readership of 12.5m. In 2012, Octopus began working with Condé Nast on British Vogue and GQ-branded books.