Waxen Cocktail

I’ll never figure out where this cocktail’s name came from, so let’s just move on, shall we? This boozy libation is found in Jacques Straub’s Manual of Mixed Drinks from 1913. The recipe… Continue reading →

Green Room Cocktail

I am continually curious over the origins of cocktail names. Some are fairly obvious: “The Algonquin” was named for the famous round table of writers and wits at the hotel in Manhattan of… Continue reading →

Blues Cocktail

Drink today, and drown all sorrow; You shall perhaps not do it tomorrow; Best, while you have it, use your breath; There is no drinking after death. I would never advocate using alcohol… Continue reading →

Imperial Cocktail

The Imperial Cocktail was intended to attract that better class of patron to your establishment, thus elevating your reputation from a slinger of booze to a mixologist of the highest order with the… Continue reading →

Journalist Cocktail

This cocktail seems to be a relative latecomer to the classic cocktail cannon which seems unusual. The recipe is quite old-fashioned in a way being, for all intents and purposes, a perfect fancy… Continue reading →

Widow’s Kiss Cocktail

There are few cocktails with a name as evocative and enigmatic as the Widow’s Kiss. One wonders why the author of this drink should ascribe so many tastes to the osculation of some… Continue reading →

Queen’s Park Swizzle

On a hot day you can find a better use for your ice. Try a Queen’s Park Swizzle instead! The idea for the Queen’s Park Swizzle comes from drinks originally made in the… Continue reading →

Old Pal

This cocktail first shows up in an introduction written for Harry McElhone’s 1927 “Barflies and Cocktails.” It is described thusly: “I remember way back in 1878, on the 30th of February to be… Continue reading →

The Scofflaw

Put an advert in the newspaper for the public to come up with a name for anyone inclined to ignore the new laws prohibiting the distribution of spiritous liquors and you end up… Continue reading →

Jersey Lily Pousse Cafe

Lillie Langtry: lover to the future King Edward VII and mooned over by Judge Roy Bean (who named his saloon after her). Lillie proved to be a force of nature, both as a… Continue reading →