Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails: Prohibition Centennial Edition: From the 1920 Pick-Me-Up to the Zombie and Beyond - 150+ Rediscovered Recipes ... With a New Introduction and 66 New Recipes by Ted Haigh

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Notes about Recipes in this book

  • The aviation

    • fprincess on September 14, 2012

      Strangely (but similar to the version in the Savoy cocktail book), this version does not contain crème de violette. The original from Hugo Ensslin in 1916 Recipes for Mixed Drinks is the proper version.

  • The bebbo cocktail

    • fprincess on July 18, 2012

      A twist on the Bee's Knees with lemon and orange juice. I used a blood orange because that's all I had. I used honey syrup instead of neat honey and adjusted the amount accordingly. Very pretty and refreshing cocktail. As explained in the book, this cocktail has a silly name but it may be even better than the Bee's Knees. I usually don't care much for orange juice in cocktails, but this one is a keeper. Picture here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php/topic/143010-mixed-drinks-with-honey/page__p__1882358#entry1882358

    • darcie_b on January 28, 2016

      I agree with fprincess that OJ in cocktails is dicey, but here it works. I too used blood orange juice and also used orange blossom honey. The blood orange juice tinted the drink a lovely shade of pink. This is a good cocktail to showcase an interesting and not too pine-y gin (I used Solveig).

  • The Brooklyn cocktail

    • fprincess on May 07, 2012

      One of my favorite drinks but unfortunately the Amer Picon is not available in the US. Picture here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php/topic/9916-amer-picon-torani-amer/page__st__120__p__1867720#entry1867720

  • The Calvados cocktail

    • fprincess on April 04, 2012

      This recipe originally comes from the Savoy Cocktail book. It is dry and quite bitter, as expected given the large amount of bitters. Not bad, but this is definitely a cocktail that needs to be sipped slowly. Picture on eGullet: http://egullet.org/p1871610

  • The Communist

    • fprincess on February 04, 2013

      Nice and tart. I used a Moro blood orange. There was almost a tangerine flavor to it (from the cherry + blood orange combo). Photo here: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/53802-vintage-spirits-forgotten-cocktails/page__st__60__p__1908020#entry1908020

  • The corpse reviver #2

    • nettmb on November 17, 2018

      I prefer this with Lillet Rose

  • Crimean cup à la Marmora

    • fprincess on March 29, 2013

      Originally from Jerry Thomas and re-discovered by Ted Haigh, the Crimean Cup à la Marmora is a mini-punch. It starts with an oleo-saccharum. I changed the prep a bit, adding the lemon juice before the spirits to help dissolve the sugar. I did not add soda water; instead I decided to shake with ice for dilution before pouring into the flutes and topping with Champagne. I reduced the amount of orgeat from 2 to 1.5 oz. I don't have white Jamaican rum in my arsenal so I just used Flor de Cana. It's a delicious cocktail that goes down too easily... It's practically a tiki drink with the orgeat, rum and brandy combination. Photo here: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/43836-cocktails-with-champagne/?p=1912932

  • The Derby

    • fprincess on February 04, 2013

      This is a Trader Vic's recipe. Very good with the dry curaçao. Not too many cocktails with this combo. The Oriental comes very close I think? Photo here: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/53802-vintage-spirits-forgotten-cocktails/page__st__60__p__1908020#entry1908020

  • The Ford cocktail

    • fprincess on June 04, 2013

      Very similar to the Caprice (same ingredients) but with less Benedictine. The Ford Cocktail is more subtle and less distinctive than the Caprice. I think I prefer the latter but this worked too. According to Ted Haigh the Ford Cocktail (1895) predates the Caprice by 39 years. Photo here: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/144979-cocktails-with-benedictine/?p=1921019

  • Golden Dawn

    • darcie_b on October 28, 2017

      This is similar in concept to the Corpse Reviver #2 (an equal parts drink) but is not as complex or well balanced. It lands on the sweet side, and the apricot/orange combined with the gin/Calvados tends to be almost medicinal.

  • Jasper's Jamaican planter's punch

    • fprincess on October 18, 2012

      I liked the simplicity of this punch: it's just dark Jamaican rum and Jasper's "secret mix", a mixture of lime juice, demerara syrup, Angostura bitters, and grated nutmeg. The books calls for Coruba but I substituted Appleton 12 because that's what I had on hand. I would love to try it again with the Coruba. Photo here: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/53802-vintage-spirits-forgotten-cocktails/page__st__30__p__1889899#entry1889899

  • The liberal

    • fprincess on May 07, 2012

      Similar to the Brooklyn but with sweet vermouth instead of the dry, no maraschino liqueur, and different ratios. I did not have the 100-proof Wild Turkey which is specified in the book and used Woodford bourbon instead. It was really good drink, definitely in the same league as the Brooklyn. Picture here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php/topic/9916-amer-picon-torani-amer/page__st__120__p__1867411#entry1867411

  • The lion's tail

    • fprincess on May 04, 2012

      Very nice use of allspice dram. Picture here: http://egullet.org/p1866225

    • fprincess on January 23, 2013

      It's still a favorite. Spicy and a litle tart, a great drink. I use the recipe that was published in the revised edition. We like it with the full amount (1/2 oz) of allspice dram. Photo here: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/76874-pimento-dram/page__st__90__p__1906588#entry1906588

  • Palm Beach special

    • fprincess on May 30, 2013

      Gin, grapefruit juice, sweet vermouth - the combination sounds odd on paper. But we've seen improbable combos come together nicely in the past. Unfortunately it is quite horrendous. I followed the recommendation to use Plymouth gin but it got lost in the mix. The cocktail had a very unpleasant finish and the sweet vermouth clashed with the grapefruit big time... I tried fiddling with it adding this and that and valiantly finished it. But I would not like to repeat this experience. Photo here: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/53802-vintage-spirits-forgotten-cocktails/?p=1920471

  • The Seelbach cocktail

    • fprincess on June 26, 2012

      It is a little like a Manhattan with bubbles - what's not to like? It's smooth and spicy with 7 drops each of Angostura and Peychaud's bitters. Picture here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php/topic/43836-cocktails-with-champagne/page__st__30__p__1882803#entry1882803

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  • ISBN 10 1631598953
  • ISBN 13 9781631598951
  • Published Mar 03 2020
  • Format Spiral-bound
  • Page Count 364
  • Language English
  • Edition Anniversary
  • Countries United States
  • Publisher Quarry Books

Publishers Text

In this new, expanded edition of Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails—issued for the 100th Anniversary of National Prohibition—historian, expert, and drink aficionado Dr. Cocktail vastly widens his examination of 1920–1933, the thirteen-year period when women got the Vote, child labor was abolished and, ironically, saw the cocktail elevated, prolonged, and expanded, spreading this signature American drink form in tasty ripples around the world. All this, plus more drink recipes!

Nothing is so desired as the thing denied. Prohibition made people want cocktails very, very badly. Because "synthetic" liquor was the easiest to make, it was also the easiest to get. Problematically, it tasted awful and wasn't exactly good for you either. Cocktails with their mélange of flavors were a made-to-order method for disguising the bad hooch.

Along with 100+ rare and delicious authentic recipes gathered from old cocktail manuals and scraps of paper never published, this illustrated trip down mixology lane tells the fascinating origins of the cocktail and how it evolved over time, including its rising popularity during Prohibition. Vintage illustrations and advertisements, photos of old bottles and cocktail artifacts, and fascinating Prohibition-era photographs bring the tippling past back to vivid life.

Recipes for rare treasures like The Fogcutter, Knickerbocker à la Monsieur, The Moscow Mule, and Satan’s Whiskers are each presented with:
  • Historical background on its origin and cultural context
  • Drink Notes that provide additional information on ingredients and tips for substitutions and variations
  • Fascinating historical ephemera from Dr. Cocktail's personal collection
This homage to the great bartenders of the past and the beverages they created also profiles some of the most influential cocktail pioneers of today. For anyone who enjoys an icy drink and an unforgettable tale, this is a must-have volume.


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