Originally published in 1937 by the United Kingdom Bartenders Guild, Café Royal Cocktail Book compiled by William J Tarling offers a rare glimpse into the wide array of drinks offered in London bars between the two world wars. Tarling, head bartender at the Café Royal during had two goals. He wanted to extend this resource to consumers. He also wanted to raise funds for the United Kingdom Bartenders Guild Sickness Fund and the Café Royal Sports Club Fund. Thus, he drew from the recipes previously compiled for Approved Cocktails, and added more of his own. He also collected many more original recipes from his contemporaries. The result was an outstanding and timely book. It did more than gather recipes, it captured a boom time in the history of cocktails, glass by glass. Sadly, there was only one printing and it became an unobtainable rarity, locking away a time capsule of drinks and knowledge.
Harry Johnson will always be remembered as the “other” father of modern bartending in the United States, forever overshadowed by Jerry “Professor” Thomas. He seemed aware of and resistant to his legacy when he wrote in the 1900 edition of his book that he had published a bartending manual while working in San Francisco in 1860 with 10,000 copies, two years before Thomas’ How to Mix Drinks was published. While there has never been any evidence to support Johnson’s claim, and it is hard to imagine all 10,000 copies being destroyed in San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake and fire, there is no disputing the merits of his book, which was published in 1882, 1888, 1900 and 1934. In addition to an exhaustive list of drinks, he included sections on the fundamentals of how to be a bartender and how to run a bar that still apply today. He gave sound advice on how to get a bartending job, and how to maintain cordial relations between bartending staff and management, how to pass on the knowledge effectively through apprenticeship, and how to treat patrons, and much, much more.
William Terrington set out to write a book on a very new subject, cups and other mixed drinks. Following closely on the heels of “Professor” Jerry Thomas, who authored the first book of bartending in 1862 in the United States, Mr. Terrington gathered many other recipes with a very European flavor. He delved into the wines of France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Austria and Hungary, Australia, South Africa, and America. He explored the liqueurs and cordials of the day in great depth. After sections on digestive bitters-based drinks, ale and beer, cider and mead, and sparkling non-alcoholic drinks’a new technology at the time’he explored refrigeration which was another new concept. Then came the mixed drinks: punches, cups, cocktails, juleps, cobblers, smashes, possets, toddies, and many other drinks that as yet had no classification. The vin blanc cassis, for example, was mentioned here seven years before the birth of Felix Kir the mayor of Dijon who introduced the drink to France and to the world.
In 1862 Jerry Thomas finished The Bar-Tender’s Guide (alternately titled How to Mix Drinks or The Bon-Vivant’s Companion), the first drink book ever published in the United States. The book collected and codified what was then an oral tradition of recipes from the early days of cocktails, including some of his own creations; the guide laid down the principles for formulating mixed drinks of all categories. He would update it several times in his lifetime to include new drinks that he found or created. The first edition of the guide included the first written recipes of such cocktails as the Brandy Daisy, Fizz, Flip, Sour and variations of the earliest form of mixed drink, Punch.
Very comprehensive, including chapters on essences, syrups, ginger ales, ice cream drinks for fountains, phosphates, hot drinks, ciders, and wines. The bulk of and most interesting part of the book are the non-alcoholic sections, though the cider chapter is of considerable interest. Many of the recipes are also suitable for soda fountain use, giving the book a particular value to anyone wishing to do a nostalgic soda fountain repertoire for a restaurant. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In 1937, William J. Tarling head bartender at the Café Royal in Piccadilly, London, and member of the UKBG’s council under president Harry Craddock compiled recipes from London’s top bartenders to create the Café Royal Cocktail Book. The Café Royal Cocktail Book, illustrated and printed in color was an elegant book intended to raise funds for a bartending charity. Approved Cocktails was born at the same time because the UKBG also wanted to create a working book with tightly standardized recipes to be used behind every reputable bar. Their reasons are best presented in the words of legendary restaurateur Giovanni Quaglino who had opened his namesake London restaurant in 1929: “At first sight this may not appear to be anything out of the ordinary, but when one realizes that at last our Bartenders, who mix the correct recipes, can definitely prove this to any doubting customer, and that the duplication of names can now be avoided by reference to the index, we all ought to be grateful for the removal of two grievances’ the doubt as to the correct recipe and the duplication of titles.” This was the first known attempt to standardize formulas and to control the naming of drinks’ two issues bartenders still face today.
The Artistry of Mixing Drinks is an excellent book by Frank Meier of The Ritz Bar, Paris. He took his job as Head Bartender very seriously, which definitely influenced his writings. A reproduction of the 1936 edition, this book contains numerous cocktail recipes, interesting observations, and wine and food information. However, Meier did not believe that a bartender was only there to serve drinks, but to connect with his customers and offer an endless repertoire of skills. Therefore, his book also includes methods of stain removal, ways to treat various injuries, how to calculate wind speed, and a a brief history of horse racing! This interesting and quirky book is a delightful read that would make an excellent addition to any home library. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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This is one of the most comprehensive alcohol books written before World War II. J.A. Grohusko wrote this book five times from 1908 to 1933. This man loved liquor in all forms and so this book was more an encyclopedia than simple cocktail guide. In its over 230 pages Gohusko has covered Flips, Fizzes, Highballs, Juleps, Punches, Toddies, Toasts, and much more. There are an estimate 1,000 different cocktail recipes here updated to this final known edition compiled by Grohusko. Also of note is that these recipes were written in percentages, so that could be scalable to the glass, bowl, or barrel.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In presenting this work to the public I take great pride in stating that it is the result of close observation and study of the proper method of preparing and serving drinks, as well as my personal experience of twenty years behind the bar . . . and embodies all the well-known and popular drinks known to the trade, and a number of new and original ones, by the author, heretofore unpublished, but served by him in such well-known hostelries as the Park House in Boston, famous the world over for the deliciousness of its cocktails, punches, and other mixed drinks, and for the excellence of the service. — Tim Daly, 1903xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Just prior to prohibition, a great little booklet was put out by The Wine and Spirit Bulletin called Beverages De Luxe. It is a collection of articles, and recipes, written by owners of distilleries and others in the business. Some of the contributors include George Brown (Brown & Foreman) and A.M. Hanauer (Hamburger Distillery, Pittsburgh, PA) among many others. Hanauer wrote a piece on rye whisky and quotes Bismarek (sic – most likely Bismarck) as saying “Beer is for women, wine is for men and rye is for heroes.” There is some great info on vermouth, New England Rum and Gin. Plus some really interesting recipes from many of the hotels across America. The cocktails towards the back of the book are quite interesting and really show the level of craftsmanship, before the temperance advocated crushed it into near oblivion. Vermouth is well represented in the recipes, along with at least five different types of bitters and a number of absinthe cocktails.
