Thanks to Robert Hess for reminding me of this drink in a post over at The Spirit World. As Robert points out, the Japanese Cocktail is one of only ten “cocktails” listed in Jerry Thomas’ 1862 The Bartender’s Guide. It’s unfortunate that this drink has fallen by the wayside–its flavor is deep and evocative, yet… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Drinks
Demerara Dry Float
For Christmas, my sister-in-law expanded my cocktail library by giving me two books I’d had on my list for quite a while: Grog Log and Intoxica!, both by Jeff “Beachbum” Berry. For the uninitiated, Berry is the reigning king of tiki drinks, with an approach to researching the history of these drinks as rigorous as… Continue Reading
Golden Dawn revisited
Okay. Maybe that whole idea of “Perfect Balance” had some element of wishful thinking about it. As I mentioned when I first approached the Golden Dawn, the idea of a cocktail composed of equal parts–five of them, at that–was compelling and, ultimately, irresistible. But as a couple of folks noted in the comments, as intriguing… Continue Reading
Star Cocktail
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… Continue Reading
Algonquin
I sincerely doubt this was a favorite at the legendary round table. A bit too indirect and a bit too fruity to be a regular tipple of the Parker, Benchley and Woollcott group, I suspect. Still, this one tastes like history. It’s a deceptive cocktail–a counterintuitive blend of three distinctly flavored ingredients that, when combined,… Continue Reading
