Another mystery drink. Earliest known reference is in Esquire’s Handbook for Hosts, from 1949 (though over at the Esquire Drinks Database, David Wondrich says Murdoch Pemberton originally wrote it up in Esquire in 1937, but since copies of that issue don’t seem to be floating around much anymore, I’ll say 1949 is the earliest printed… Continue Reading
Author Archives: Paul
Ante
Origins? Dunno. History? Beats me. Thanks to Ben down at Zig Zag Cafe for turning me on to this one. I was looking for another good calvados cocktail, and this one fits the bill perfectly. Ben used a nice French calvados that gave the drink the taste of fresh fruit; at home, I tried it… Continue Reading
Gettin’ Jerry With It, Part III: Mississippi Punch
On February 7, 1882, a former hod-carrier and assistant plumber from Boston named John L. Sullivan met Paddy Ryan in a bareknuckle heavyweight bout in Mississippi City, Mississippi. Sullivan was a rising star in boxing–having gone pro in 1877 after knocking celebrated boxer Tom Scannel into the orchestra pit at Boston’s Dudley Street Opera House,… Continue Reading
No Time to Mess Around
It’s been a busy couple of weeks around here, and the future doesn’t look much better. Between family obligations, household issues and other life matters that deserve no further attention in this space, there hasn’t been much time to ponder vital Cocktail Chronicles-type questions–such as, “how much Benedictine do you really need to use in… Continue Reading
Bobby Burns
File this one in the “Annoying Name, Excellent Drink” category. When I encountered this cocktail in various bartending guides, I usually breezed right past it, put off by its back-slapping, overly familiar name, attached to the drink no doubt to serve as a flippant flag to the unwitting drinker that the Bobby Burns is a… Continue Reading
