A sample cocktail from George J. Kappeler’s Modern American Drinks. I don’t know if this is a Kappeler original, and I haven’t checked to see if it’s in other cocktail manuals, but this one caught my eye as something period-appropriate, with the added benefit that I happen to have the ingredients on hand.

Here’s Kappeler’s wording on the recipe, followed by my recipe (in my usual format):

Fill a mixing-glass half-full fine ice, add two dashes gum-syrup, three dashes Peyschaud [sic] or Angostura bitters, one-half jigger apple brandy, one-half jigger Italian vermouth. Mix, strain into cocktail-glass, twist small piece lemon-peel on top.

And my preparation:

Star Cocktail

• 1 ounce apple brandy (I used Laird’s Applejack)
• 1 ounce sweet vermouth
• 3 dashes Peychaud’s or Angostura bitters (I used Peychaud’s)
  
• 2 dashes gum syrup

Stir with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass; garnish with lemon twist.

A couple of notes: first, at the beginning of the book’s recipe section, Kappeler defines a jigger as holding two ounces–this is different from the contemporary definition, in which a jigger contains one and one-half ounces–hence the measurements in my recipe.

Second, Kappeler calls for apple brandy–I assume that in 1895, the type of apple brandy he’d most readily have on hand would be domestic (ie, not Calvados), and quite possibly Laird’s (as they were certainly in production during that time). While Laird’s applejack is not currently a “pure” apple brandy, as it contains a substantial portion of neutral grain spirits, in 1895 it was still composed purely of apple distillate, and it’s the closest thing I have on hand to a domestic apple brandy. Should you have access to Laird’s bonded apple brandy, you should certainly use it in this drink (it’d probably be nice with a Calvados, too).

The Star is a very gentle cocktail, with the slight bitterness of the vermouth nicely touched by the fullness of the Peychaud’s. I think the applejack fades into the background a bit too much–all the more reason to break out the real apple brandy deal when giving this one a try.

Tags: Applejack, Books, Calvados, Drinks, Vermouth by Paul
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A good drink at the proper time
has a welcome in every clime.

I’ve been collecting bartending manuals for a few years now, and for the most part I’ve managed to obtain either originals or reprints of some of the most influential and sought-after books on the topic. Still, there are a few major works that are very hard to find, and even when a stray copy turns up on eBay or Alibris, the price is frequently so outrageous that I can’t even consider buying it (today, for example, I saw several copies of David Embury’s The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks listed on bookfinder.com. Starting price? About $150.)

So it’s all the more satisfying when the odd reasonably priced original of a vintage, influential book appears out of the blue. Such is the case with the latest addition to my library, an original copy of George Kappeler’s Modern American Drinks from 1895.

I’ve read about Kappeler’s book for years–David Wondrich and Robert Hess have referred to it as the first printed reference for the Old Fashioned, and Ted Haigh mentioned it in Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails as the original reference for the Widow’s Kiss.

There’s no fluff or nonsense from Kappeler–this book is all drinks with no commentary or editorializing, from Absinthe, California-style and the Bosom Caresser to the Star Cocktail, the Whiskey Fix and the White Plush (though he does append a somewhat out-of-place chapter on “Frozen Beverages such as Water Ices, Sherbets, and Frozen Punches”).

I’ve only started flipping through the book, but I can see already why it has caught the interest of drink historians. With its many references to old Tom gin, pepsin bitters, calasaya and Horsford acid phosphate, Modern American Drinks illuminates a particular period in the evolution of the American cocktail.

Tags: Books by Paul
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I like books. I like to read books, I like to flip through books without really reading, I like to have books around.

I also like to drink–duh–and so over the past few years I’ve managed to accumulate way more books on cocktails, bartending, spirits and their role in culture and history than I ever thought existed. Most of these came cheap–old bar manuals are everywhere, and most are only worth a couple of bucks–but even the pricier vintage cocktail guides can be found for a bargain, assuming you’re willing to be diligent in your searching (both online and in used bookstores) and say the occasional prayer to Trader Vic. And then, there’s the sporadic reprint, which for a reasonable price puts a tome of well-established libational wisdom into the hands of a cocktail geek like myself.

Anyway, here’s my booze bookshelf–my plan is to refer back to this post on occasion, both to flesh out individual books a bit as well as to explore some of the worthwhile (or worthless) drinks each one contains. At some point I may give some rating system as to the worthiness of each book, but just putting it down in a list is enough work for now.

(note: for the date on each book, I’ve listed the publication or printing date for the edition I own, and not necessarily the original publication date for the book)

Cocktail guides, bartending manuals and other works pertaining to mixed drinks

The Algonquin Bar and Cocktail Book
by Anna Kiernan
2002

Bacchus Behave!
The Lost Art of Polite Drinking
by Alma Whitaker
1933

The Bartender’s Book
Being a compilation of Sundry Alcoholic Potations, Libations & Mixtures together with Recipes and Tables to make Everyman a Proficient Practitioner of the noble Art of Mixology
by Jack Townsend & Tom Moore McBride
1951

Bartender’s Guide
by “Trader Vic” Bergeron
1947

Beachbum Berry’s Grog Log
by Jeff Berry & Annene Kaye
1998

Beachbum Berry’s Intoxica!
by Jeff Berry
2002

The Bon Vivant’s Companion
or, How to Mix Drinks
by Jerry Thomas, edited and with an introduction by Herbert Asbury
1927 edition, printed 1934

Bottoms Up
by Ted Saucier
1951

Bottoms Up
Guide to Pleasant Drinking
cocktail guide published and distributed by Town & Country Liquors, Inc., Great Neck, NY
1949

Burke’s Complete Cocktail & Drinking Recipes
by Harman Burney “Barney” Burke
1934

Burke’s Complete Cocktail and Tastybite Recipes
with Recipes for Food Bits for the Cocktail Hour – The Art and Etiquette of Mixing, Serving and Drinking Wines and Liquors
by Harman Burney “Barney” Burke
1941

Cakes and Ale
by Edward Spencer
1897

Classic Cocktails
(reprint of The Ideal Bartender)
by Tom Bullock and D.J. Frienz
2002 (originally published in 1917)

Cocktail
The Drinks Bible for the 21st Century
by Paul Harrington and Laura Moorhead
1998

Cocktails
by “Jimmy” late of Ciro’s London
undated; first published in 1930

The Cocktails of The Ritz Paris
by Colin Peter Field
2003

The Craft of the Cocktail
by Dale DeGroff
2002

Cups of Valor
by N.E. Beveridge
1968

Esquire Drinks
An Opinionated & Irreverent Guide to Drinking
by David Wondrich
2002

Esquire’s Handbook for Hosts
1949

Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ‘Em
by Stanley Clisby Arthur
1937

The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks
by David Embury
1958 edition

The Flowing Bowl
by Edward Spencer
1903

For Snake-Bites – or something
undated; flyleaf reads “Compiled in order to preserve some evidence of the genius and artistry of those good old days,” so probably Prohibition-era

The Gentleman’s Companion
2 volumes, including Being An Exotic Drinking Book, or Around the World with Jigger, Beaker & Flask
by Charles H. Baker, Jr.
1946 (originally published 1939)

Here’s How!
by Judge Jr.
1927

The Hour
by Bernard DeVoto
1948

How to Mix Drinks, or The Bon-Vivant’s Companion
Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States, Together with the Most Popular British, French, German, Italian, Russian, and Spanish Recipes, Embracing Punches, Juleps, Cobblers, Etc., Etc., Etc., in Endless Variety
by Jerry Thomas
2004 reprint of 1864 edition

The Joy of Mixology
by Gary Regan
2003

Killer Cocktails
An Intoxicating Guide to Sophisticated Drinking
by David Wondrich
2005

Mixologist
The Journal of the American Cocktail – Volume 1
Anistatia Miller, ed.; published by the Museum of the American Cocktail
2005

Mr. Boston Deluxe Official Bartender’s Guide
1978

The Official Mixer’s Manual
by Patrick Gavin Duffy, revised and enlarged by Robert Jay Misch
1975

Old Mr. Boston De Luxe Official Bartender’s Guide
1946

Old Waldorf Bar Days
by Albert Stevens Crockett
1931

On Drink
by Kingsley Amis
1972

The Savoy Cocktail Book
by Harry Craddock
1999 (originally published 1930)

Shaken Not Stirred
A Celebration of the Martini
Anistatia Miller & Jared Brown
1997

So Red the Nose–or, Breath in the Afternoon
Cocktail Recipes by 30 Leading Authors
by Sterling North and Carl Kroch
1935

The South American Gentleman’s Companion (2 volumes)
by Charles H. Baker, Jr.
1951

The Standard Bartender’s Guide
by Patrick Gavin Duffy
1948

The Standard Bartender’s Guide
by Patrick Gavin Duffy, revised by James Beard
1959

Standard Cocktail Guide
by Crosby Gaige
1944

The Stork Club Bar Book
by Lucius Beebe
2003 reprint of 1930′s / 1940′s original

Straight Up or On the Rocks
The Story of the American Cocktail
by William Grimes
2001

Trader Vic’s Book of Food & Drink
by Vic Bergeron
1946

Vintage Spirits & Forgotten Cocktails
by Ted Haigh
2004

World Drinks and How to Mix Them
by “Cocktail Bill” Boothby
1934

Not cocktails, necessarily, but still of interest to the booze enthusiast

The Alcoholic Republic
An American Tradition
by W.J. Rorabaugh
1979

Big Shots
The Men Behind the Booze
by A.J. Baime
2003

Booze
The Impact of Whisky on the Prairie West
James H. Gray
1972

The Cocktail
The Influence of Spirits on the American Psyche
by Joseph Lanza

The Complete Guide to Whiskey
by Jim Murray
1997

Drink
A Social History of America
by Andrew Barr
1999

Grossman’s Guide to Wines, Spirits and Beers
by Harold J. Grossman
1964

Kentucky Moonshine
by David W. Maurer
1974

Rum
The Epic Story of the Drink that Conquered the World
by Charles A. Coulombe
2004

The Social History of Bourbon
An Unhurried Account of our Star-Spangled American Drink
by Gerald Carson
1963

Tales of the Ex-Tanks
by Clarence Louis Cullen
1900

Ten Nights in a Bar Room
by T.S. Arthur
printing date unknown; originally published 1854; copy appears to be from 1880s-1890s

Vintage Bar Ware
Identification & Value Guide
by Stephen Visakay
1997

Tags: Books by Paul
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In the two years or so since my interest in cocktails really blossomed, I’ve collected somewhere around 50 books related to drinks and drinking. And while I have a few books on wine, bar ware, and other stuff, by far most of my books are cocktail guides–what cocktails are, how to mix ‘em, and so on and so on. My favorites among these are the books published prior to 1960 (especially the ones dating to Prohibition, and on back to the turn of the last century), as they tend to display a comfortable familiarity with the flavor and character of different spirits and liqueurs that you almost never find in bars or in bar guides anymore.

Almost. Y’see, the latest addition to my bookshelf is brand new, just published earlier this month. Killer Cocktails: An Intoxicated Guide to Sophisticated Drinking is the latest book by David Wondrich, Esquire magazine’s chief cocktail authority and author of Esquire Drinks, one of the books that got me started down this path.

Wondrich is more than a cocktail writer–he’s a deity of drink, a scholar of the soused with a knowledge and understanding of the mixological arts that is as deep and wide as the river of fine hooch that once flowed at the old Waldorf Bar every night. This book has 78 recipes, some the old classics of the sort that he trotted out in Esquire Drinks and on the Esquire Drinks Database (the Daiquiri, the Aviation, the Manhattan, etc.), but even better, this one has some new-ish drinks crafted in the classic form, many by Wondrich himself. It’s written with the beginner in mind (“Step 9: Dump the ice into the shaker as gently as possible.”), and most of the recipes are easy to make (easy, assuming you have stuff like Peychaud’s bitters, yellow Chartreuse and imported apricot brandy on hand). And while Wondrich is prone to the occasional cocktail-geek emphasis on impossible-to-find ingredients (his recipe for the “Improved Holland Gin Cock-tail” calls for a spirit–Holland gin, or Genever–that’s virtually vanished from the U.S market), he has a great sense of balance in a cocktail and an enthusiasm for perfection in a drink that can only be a good thing in the long run–especially if some of the vanilla-Stoli-and-Diet-Coke drinkers can be persuaded to get on the outside of one of these creations, and hence be set on the road to righteous inebriation.

Dave Wondrich: keeping hope alive.

You can–and should–buy this book; do so here or here:

Tags: Books by Paul
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