The popularizer of cocktails in the United States, Jerry Thomas is also known for his flashy style and showmanship (I strongly recommend reading the New York Times article about Thomas's influence). I'm not interested in the technical aspect of cocktails that much, or trying out my mixology skills, but I've recently started thinking about developing my cocktail taste buds, and a part of that journey might include trying out drinks at home. A couple of weeks ago I heard about The Nightjar, and speakeasy type of places are of course a must visit for a 20s lover.

I figured I'd try Thomas's book to establish myself a some sort of base of cocktail history, but I ended up getting so much more. The measurements are vague (dashes, wineglasses etc.), but I kind of like that. I usually follow food recipes neurotically, but when it comes to drinks and punches I don't really care how much ingredients there are, as long as the end result tastes good and is kind of what it's supposed to be.

Thomas has not only included recipes for individual drinks, but also for parties and bottling purposes, and the directions for making the syrups and tinctures needed in the drinks. The names of drinks were already fun back then, at least when bartenders started to experiment a bit more instead of just throwing sugar into brandy, gin, or whiskey. Philadelphia Fish-House Punch, Bimbo Punch, Sleeper, White Tiger's Milk, Locomotive etc. One should not forget the temperance drinks either, although I highly doubt you would find Thomas's book on those folks' bookshelf.

Fun details are scattered throughout: the recipe for Quince Liqueur was apparently given to Thomas by some mysterious lady ("This is a delightful liqueur, and can be relied upon, as it is from a recipe in the possession of a lady who is famous for concocting delicious potations."), Royal Punch includes calf-foot jelly (yummy!), the English drinks "have not yielded the satisfaction expected or desired", and the mint juleps were apparently taken seriously in the south ("[W]e have knowledge of several old-fashioned gardens where the mint bed under the southern wall still blooms luxuriantly ; where white fingers of household angels come every day about this time of the year and pluck a few sprays of the aromatic herb to build a julep for poor old shaky grandpa, who sits in the shady corner of the veranda with his feet on the rail and his head busy with the olden days.").

I'd imagine this to be useful in the future, but until I get around buying the paper copy, I'll just browse the online version. The drinks that grabbed my attention on the first read: Brandy Cocktail, Saratoga, Morning Glory, Brandy Daisy, Santa Cruz Rum Daisy, Mint Julep, Pineapple Julep, Knickerbocker, and West India Couperee (ice cream!).