In 1975 Glenn Pitcher of the Links MC (New York) took a room at the Waldorf Astoria and in a grand gesture to a visiting friend from the West Coast, invited a few friends over for an intimate cocktail party. All arrived in their finest Leather. As the story goes, it was Jerry McChristensen, another member of the Links MC, who had a difficult and unexplained time removing a metal cockring before the group was to leave for dinner. A loud unmistakable clanking sound from the bathroom where after an hour of drinking and the like, Jerry was struggling, indicated that he was now free from the cockring and Glenn declared an end to the first Leather Cocktail Party. This is the origin to the ceremony you see during Leather Cocktails now. In January 1977 the guest list grew to 150 and for the first time pins were presented to participants. In 1978 engraved invitations went out to more than 250 guests. The "by invitation only" was loosely enforced to anyone in club colors, or anyone who looked good in or out of their Leather. In 1979 due to expense, Leather Cocktails took to the road and Washington, DC. The following year it was held in Philadelphia and then to Baltimore in 1981. The last Leather Cocktails sponsored by the individual members of the Links MC was held at the 5th Street Exile Bar in Washington, DC in 1982. By then the guest list had grown to more than 500 Leather folk. At that point Ray Hard of the Links (later of the Spartans), for various reasons, announced that Leather Cocktails would not be held again. Not wanting to see this beloved tradition ended, Tony Bachrach and Jo Johansen of the Centaur MC approached Ray and the AMCC (Atlantic Motorcycle Coordinating Council) and asked permission to preserve and perpetuate this admirable ritual. The Centaurs presented Leather Cocktails in 1983 at the Exile in Washington and have worked hard to preserve and pass down this continuing shared sense of pride and brotherhood. Instituted by Tony Bachrach and Al Santora, the addition of the Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather Contest to the 1985 Leather Cocktails party became the first Leather Weekend. From the Exile to the now gone and fondly remembered club Tracks, Nation and now to Almas Temple, the guest list has grown to over 3000 Leather folks.

The weekend celebration, which now includes: two evening dances, a Leather Exhibit Hall, and many other exciting elements, has been preserved by the men of the Centaur Motorcycle Club, entering its 37th year in 2007. Leather Weekend has been sustained by the Washington community, a multitude of Leather/Levi clubs, and supporters from all over the world.

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