On the back cover of the 1937 bartending manual Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ‘Em, by Stanley Clisby Arthur, there’s a bit of drinking-related doggerel attributed to George C. Wailes, entitled Longevity. After two days of television images depicting rising flood waters, devastated cityscapes and a complete breakdown in civil order, this… Continue Reading
Author Archives: Paul
Gettin’ Jerry With It, Part II: the Knickerbocker
Prompted into action by Slakethirst, I’m venturing back to the Old Testament of mixology, Jerry Thomas’ 1862 How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant’s Companion. Not that this one has been forgotten, at least not recently: In the past year alone, this 19th-century punch with the Old New York monicker has been listed in two… Continue Reading
Easy Does It
Born in a Prohibition-era bar in Havana, christened with the establishment’s name (along with a close relative, the Floridita Daiquiri), witness to a thousand awkward moments as Hemingway mumbled nearby over his Papa Dobles, the Floridita happens to be one of the most counter-intuitive, paradigm-shifting drinks I can think of. It also happens to be… Continue Reading
Summer Survival Kit Essential #3: Rum & Coconut Water
No, not milk–coconut water. This pleasing little cooler is a recent addition to my summer arsenal, thanks to a posting by David Wondrich on eGullet’s Fine Spirits & Cocktails forum. Rum & Coconut Water Fill a tall glass with ice; add 2 ounces rum–amber, aged rums are best–and top with coconut water. Relaaaaaax. Without getting… Continue Reading
Oh, That Oil
I think I’ve discovered where the “oil” in my new friend, the Corn ‘n Oil, comes from. This one comes from Murray Stenson, the aforementioned bartender extraordinaire from Zig Zag Cafe. In response to my falernum experiment, Murray suggested mixing a drink using Cruzan Blackstrap Rum, falernum, and the juice from a couple of lime… Continue Reading
