380. Yale Cocktail

 My interpretation:
  2 oz Bombay Sapphire London Dry gin
  1 dash Regan’s Orange Bitters 
  1 dash St. George Absinthe Verte
  1 lemon peel

Fill mixing-glass with cracked ice, shake, strain into cocktail glass, twist lemon peel, garnish, serve. — This recipe comes from Straub 1913. Craddock’s version in 1930 has orange bitters, Angostura, lemon peel, and a splash of soda. The Old Waldorf Bar Days, with this note:

calls for Tom Gin and Sweet Vermouth stirred and strained and finished with the seltzer. McElhone in 1927 calls for gin, orange bitters, Angostura bitters, lemon peel, and soda. Which drink best represents the institution in question is unsure.

359. Van Wyck Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1 oz Castle & Key London dry gin
  1 oz Plymouth Sloe Gin
  2 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters

Shake well with ice, strain into cocktail glass, serve. — This frothy yin-yang Duo of strong and syrupy hanging in dubious balance, strapped together with a cord of faint but deep orange bitters, first appears in Straub 1913 with “dry gin.” In JM 1916 it becomes the second of three “Vans” in the cocktail section of Grohusko’s, also specifying dry gin. This agreement suggests the Waldorf Bar as the common source, which is tentatively confirmed by reference to the Old Waldorf Bar Book (1931), where the drink appears with Old Tom gin and sloe gin in a 2:1 ratio, with the orange bitters, stirred, with “fruit in glass.” It was apparently to be drunk in the Van Wyck tunnel.

357. Union League Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1.25 oz Gin Lane 1751 Old Tom
  0.75 oz Offley Tawny Port
  1 dash Fee Brothers Orange Bitters

Fill mixing-glass half full with ice, stir well (about 30 seconds), strain into cocktail glass, serve. — The Union League comes to JM1916 from Straub 1913/1914, where it has the slightly stronger ratio of 2:1 rather than 3:2. It is named for one of the famous conservative clubs, perhaps that in New York on Union Square, which has since moved; though since this recipe is found first in Straub, who spent time in Chicago, that Union Club may be the originator. Its similarity to Kappeler’s Princeton Cocktail is notable (Jack’s is a Gin Cocktail topped with Seltzer), except that he layers in the port neatly instead of stirring it in. The Union League is all but forgotten as such (a brand new, impostor “Union League” with whisky and orange juice is now being promoted), with the Princeton slightly more common. The most famous Gin+Port drink at present seems to be the more citrusy Crimson.

 

353. Tussetto Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1.25 oz Castle & Key London Dry Gin
  0.75 oz El Maestro Sierra Oloroso Sherry
  2 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters

Fill mixing-glass half full of broken ice, stir, strain into cocktail glass, serve. — This recipe, otherwise known as a Sherry Martini, is closely linked to the Tuxedo Club, also spelled Tucseto or Tucsedo after the Indian term for which the eponymous community club was named. Grohusko’s spelling here seems unique, and may be regarded as an Italianized interpretation of the spelling, though it first appears that way not in JM 1916 but in Straub 1913. The Savoy (1930) has two Tuxedos of the martini+absinthe vein, neither with sherry. It is the most simple and elegant of all the Tuxedo-related drinks. Further information for this and the next drink, the Tuxedo proper, is found here.
 

350. Turf Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1 oz Castle & Key London Dry Gin
  1 oz Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth
  2 dashes St. George Absinthe Verte
  2 dashes Luxardo maraschino
  2 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters
  1 dash Fee Brothers Cardamom Bitters

Fill mixing-glass half full of ice, stir well, strain into cocktail glass, drop in olive, serve. — This Dry Martini augmented by dashes from half the liquor cabinet appears in JM1908 and continues unchanged. It becomes the Turf Cocktail No. 1 in Straub 1913, where the No. 2 is Holland gin, sweet vermouth, and bitters—essentially a Sweet Martini with genever, which is the recipe named “Turf Club” in JM1916 (see the next post), but simply “Turf” in the Old Waldorf Bar Book (1931).

 

347. Trowbridge Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1 oz Castle & Key London Dry Gin
  1 oz Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth
  1 dash Regan’s Orange Bitters

Fill mixing-glass half full with ice, stir, strain into whisky glass, garnish with orange twist, serve. — This Sweet Martini with a twist, served down, first appears in Straub 1913 in a 2:1 ratio, sweetened up to 1:1, as usual, when copied by JM1916. There is no mention of ice, so a legitimate form of this drink would include a direct pour, esp. if the vermouth is duly chilled.

346. Trilby Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1 oz Castle & Key London Dry Gin
  1 oz Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth
  1 dash Regan’s Orange Bitters
  1 dash Angostura aromatic bitters
  2 barspoons Rothman & Winter crème de violette

Fill mixing-glass half full with ice, stir well (20-30 seconds), strain into cocktail glass, add cherry, add crème de violette carefully so that it settles in a clear layer at the bottom of the glass. — Of all the recipes going by the name Trilby, this one may be the most perplexing, due to the fact that the specific gravity of the concoction is not high enough to support a crème of any kind on its surface. This cannot be traced back further than JM1916. Straub 1913 has the recipe but calls only for a 1/6 jigger of Crème Yvette and does not specify floating or layering of any kind. He also uses Old Tom gin (that is usually the source of Grohusko’s generic term “gin,” and indeed it is supported by earlier editions calling for Tom gin). McElhone’s 1927 recipe replaces the Old Tom gin with scotch and the
Crème Yvette with Parfait d’Amour. The Old Waldorf Bar Days (1931) keeps (or rather, is the source of) Grohusko’s recipe, without specifying float or layering of the Crème Yvette, thus confirming the propriety of laying the blame at the feet of Grohusko (or whoever was his direct source).

344. Tiptop Cocktail

My intepretation:
  2 oz Martini & Rossi Dry Vermouth
  4 dashes DOM Benedictine
  3 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters
  1 dash Angostura aromatic bitters

Shake with ice, strain into cocktail glass, serve. — This light, vermouth-based drink appropriate for any time of day, first appears in print in Straub 1913, from which it is borrowed for JM1916. The drink probably originates with the Old Waldorf bar. The 1931 publication of the manual includes this recipe with the following differences: 2 dashes Angostura (not 1), no orange bitters, stirred (not shaken), lemon twist.

339. Strawberry Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1.5 oz Martell Cognac VS
  0.5 oz homemade strawberry syrup
  1 dash Luxardo maraschino
  2 dashes Regan’s orange bitters

Fill mixing-glass with ice, shake, strain into cocktail glass, serve. — This fruity, “improved” strawberry and brandy dessert duo is first found in Straub 1913 and is borrowed for JM1916. The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930) features a large-format (6 serving) drink made with strawberries, orange juice, whisky, and ice. Closer is the Old Waldorf Bar Days (1931) recipe, which only differs by reduction of orange bitters by 1 dash.

 

324. Silver Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1 oz Beefeater Gin
  1 oz Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth
  2 dashes Regan’s orange bitters
  2 dashes Luxardo maraschino
  1 dash gum syrup
  1 dash Angostura bitters

Stir well (30 seconds) in mixing-glass half full of ice, strain into cocktail glass, squeeze lemon peel, garnish, serve. — This recipe is first found in JM1908 and continues without change to JM1933. Straub 1913 shows a simpler formula with sweet vermouth and no gum syrup. McElhone’s recipe in Barflies & Cocktails (1927), ascribing the authorship to Pat O’Brien of the Knickerbocker, uses dry vermouth, but instead of gum syrup calls for egg white and orgeat—for which Jack’s use of gum syrup would be a reasonable, if lackluster, substitute. The Savoy Cocktail Book simplifies on Jack’s recipe by dropping the Angostura and gum syrup, bringing it closer to an augmented dry Martini or Tuxedo. This idea is also reflected in the Old Waldorf Bar Days book, which calls for a Martini with maraschino, frappé.
   

314. Salome Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1 oz Beefeater London Dry Gin
  0.5 oz Noilly Prat Rouge
  0.5 oz Noilly Prat Dry
  2 dashes Fee Brothers Orange Bitters
  3 celery leaves

Shake vigorously with fine ice until shaker is covered with ice (about 30-40 seconds), strain into cocktail glass, garnish with celery leaf, serve. — This recipe, a Perfect Martini with an exotic, savory celery tinge, comes to JM1916 from Straub. In the Old Waldorf Bar Days (1931) which represents the root of the same tradition, a drink by the same name follows the St. Peter, but is a completely different drink consisting of Sweet Vermouth, Dubonnet, and absinthe; The Savoy (1930) had a probably related mixture of Sweet Vermouth, Dry Gin, and Dubonnet. The root of any drink in those days bearing this name is surely the book by Oscar Wilde, and perhaps more so, the infamous opera by Richard Strauss, written in 1905 with a US premiere in 1907.

312. St. John Cocktail

My interpretation:

  1 oz Gin Lane 1751 Old Tom Gin

  1 oz Casa Mariol Vermut Negra

  1 dash Fee Brothers Orange Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into cocktail glass, serve. — The second of the three “saints” from the analogous section of Straub, this slightly sweeter Martini varies depending on the Martini recipe referred to. In Straub, it’s a 2:1 sweet vermouth Martini. Grohusko’s Martini is, as typical, adjusted to 1:1, favoring a cheaper mixture (or less-inebriated customer!).

 

286. Prince Henry Cocktail

My interpretation:
  0.75 oz Aria American Dry Gin
  0.75 oz Noilly Prat Rouge
  0.5 oz Hiram Walker Crème de Menthe (white)
  1 dash Regan’s Orange Bitters

 Frappé (shake vigorously with fine ice), strain into chilled cocktail glass, serve. — This cooling, minty Martini-riff appears first in laconic Straub, from which it is borrowed for JM 1916 without filling in the directions. Frappé drinks in this time are almost always strained. In the Old Waldorf Bar Book (1931), the Prince Henry is a Martini with a dash of crème de menthe on top, while the Prince is whisky with crème de menthe and orange bitters. This is further support for a Martini-style strained drink, rather than one served on fine ice (which frappé usually signifies today). The Old Waldorf Bar would be more trustworthy in this case than Straub, since it is based on the original recipe book to which Straub may or may not have had access. The 1935 revision by Crockett attributes the Martini-style drink to the commemoration of a visit by Prince Henry (Heinrich) of Prussia in 1902.
 

280. Poet's Dream Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1.33 oz Aria American Dry Gin
  0.66 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
  2 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters
  2 dashes DOM Benedictine

Fill mixing-glass with ice, stir, strain into cocktail glass, serve. — This dry martini riff is first found in Straub 1913 in the ratio 2:1, 2 ds each of orange bitters and Benedictine. It is reprodcued in JM1916. The 1931 the Old Waldorf Bar Book gives an equal-thirds recipe of dry gin, dry vermouth, and Benedictine, with a lemon twist.
 

252. Olivette Cocktail

My interpretation:
   1 oz Beefeater London Dry Gin
   1 oz Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth
  3 dashes Fee Brothers Orange Bitters
  3 dashes St. George Absinthe Verte
  1 dash Angostura Bitters
  1 dash gum syrup

In mixing-glass half-full of ice stir well (20-30 seconds), strain into chilled cocktail glass, express lemon peel over glass and garnish with fresh lemon peel. — The original recipe for this Martini riff from JM 1908 omits vermouth, has 2 dashes of syrup instead of 1, and includes an olive alongside the lemon peel, the latter point being perhaps rather on the nose for a drink by this name. 

These differences all reflect a reorientation of the original recipe, an enhanced Plymouth Gin Cocktail + olive, in conformity with the Martini style recipe in Straub 1913/1914, which cuts the gin with vermouth, dials down the syrup, and drops the olive. In 1927’s Barflies and Cocktails, however, we find the older recipe without vermouth, with 2 dashes syrup, and with the olive. This earlier recipe is again found in the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book. A less similar Olivet in the Old Waldorf Bar Days (1931) has gin paired with sweet vermouth, orange bitters, and an olive, a Martinez-riff.
 

248. Nutting Cocktail

My Interpretation:
  1.25 oz Beefeater London Dry Gin
  0.75 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
  1 dash Angostura bitters
  1 dash Fee Brothers orange bitters

Shake with ice, strain into cocktail glass, serve. — This Martini riff calling lavishly for two bitters, is first found with this name in Straub 1913, borrowed in 1916, when the 2:1 ratio became 3:2. In 1933, “dry gin” was changed to “gin” either accidentally or without effect (a vague term in 1916 and 1933).

244. Netherland Cocktail

Netherland, not “-lands.” This recipe, which Jack may have gotten from Straub 1913/1914 (both require “good brandy”), is claimed by the Old Waldorf Bar Book to be named for, and derived from, the (New) Netherland Hotel (1893–1927), a Waldorf-Astor property. I suppose they should know, though the orangey-ness of the drink suggests at least a passing familiarity with the “old” Netherland and the importance of that fruit and color to its history (not to mention Curaçao then belonging to Dutch Antilles).
 

238. Millionaire Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1.5 oz Rittenhouse Rye
  1 egg white
  1 tsp Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
  2 dashes Jack Rudy Grenadine
  1 dash Regan’s Orange Bitters

Shake well (30 seconds) with cracked ice, strain into large (claret) glass, serve. — Note that while I usually humor JM when it calls unnecessarily for shaking, I could not here countenance the prospect of imbibing a drink in which the egg white is merely stirred. However, the stirring technique is specific all the way back to Straub 1913, from which it is reproduced in JM 1916. This must be an error. The same recipe in Barflies and Cocktails (1927) is indeed well shaken, where it is also attributed to the Ritz Hotel, London. The Savoy Cocktail Book has two Millionaire cocktails, neither of which we need concern ourselves with here. The only resemblance is that one of them has an egg white (well shaken, naturally).

There is, however, in the Jack’s Manual tradition a different, earlier “Millionaire’s” (with possessive) recipe going back to JM1910 and corroborated to some degree in the 1931 Old Waldorf Bar Book, where it is called “Millionaire” and described as a Martini with grenadine poured on top, in a glass. JM1910 is a little more complex but essentially the same drink: A 5:4:1 mix of dry gin, dry vermouth, and grenadine with juice of 1/2 lime, stirred. This drink was no doubt replaced by the richer but unrelated Ritz / Straub drink to avoid confusion. Pictured below is the result of that later recipe:

 

235. Metropolitan Cocktail (Southern Style)

My interpretation:
  0.75 oz Casa Mariol Vermut Negra
  1.25 oz Western Grace Brandy
  1 dash Regan’s Orange Bitters

Fill mixing-glass with ice, stir, strain into cocktail glass, serve. — This putative variant of the last drink (No. 235) first appears in the laconic Straub 1913 without instructions (simply “serve”), but with the usual 2:1 ratio favored by Straub and which was typically altered to 3:2 by Grohusko. It is for all intents and purposes a Brandy Manhattan.
 

230. McCutcheon Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1 oz Beefeater London Dry Gin
  0.5 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
  0.5 oz Casa Mariol Vermut Negra
  1 dash Regan’s Orange Bitters
  1 dash Angostura Bitters
  1 dash Hiram Walker Anisette

Fill mixing-glass with ice, stir ingredients except Anisette, strain into cocktail glass, finish with Anisette using spoon or mister. — This enhanced perfect Martini first appears in Straub 1913 and is then included in JM1916.