International Drinking

1930-1940

After prohibition was repealed in 1933, most of America’s most talented bartenders had traveled abroad to continue pursuing their careers (“Cocktail”). Bartenders fled to Europe, Cuba, or the Carribean and picked up on these countries’ mixing techniques. American bartenders combined these techniques with their own and created some very prestigious cocktails during this period. The focus of the cocktail scene is no longer on America and has shifted overseas. It would take America a while to pick up where they left off before Prohibition because all of the fine distilleries had been forced to shut down and it would take some time for new ones to age their spirits (Kenyon). Iconic bartender Harry Craddock, who jumped ship from America to London during Prohibition, would write The Savoy Cocktail Book that would preserve so many pre-and postProhibition cocktails and even bring some cocktails back into the light that had been lost in time (Sutcliffe). While America takes some time to get back into the cocktail-making game, the drinks overseas bring a new perspective on cocktail making.

Corpse Reviver #2

The Corpse Revivers are part of a family of cocktails that were drank as hangover cures to “raise” drinkers from the dead. As the name suggests, there were two versions of this drink, but the Corpse Reviver #2 was the most well-received. The Corpse Revivers were pre-prohibition cocktails that fizzled out during prohibition due to the limited selection of different kinds of alcohol (Gray). Harry Cradock literally brought this cocktail back to life in the 1930s with the publication of The Savoy Cocktail Book (Strickland). Craddock was an American who moved across seas to London during Prohibition to work at the American Bar at the Savoy. In his book, he compiled 40 years’ worth of cocktail recipes and included some of his own that introduced classic drinks that had been lost in time to new drinkers. Today, the cocktail still with-holds its “hair-of-the-dog” trait and is often seen on breakfast or brunch menus as a pick-me-up in the morning.

Recipe

Glass: Coupe Tools: Shaker, Strainer

Absinthe, to Rinse 3/4 oz. Gin 3/4 oz. Lillet Blanc 3/4 oz. Orange Liqueur 3/4 oz. Lemon Juice 1 Orange Twist

1. Rinse glass with absinthe 2. Add gin, Lillet blanc, orange liqueur, and lemon juice into a shaker with ice and shake well 3. Strain into a glass 4. Garnish with an orange twist

Old-Fashion Tip:

Need another hangover cure? Make the Corpse Reviver #1. Add 1 oz. brandy, 1 oz. cognac, and 1/2 oz. of sweet vermouth into a mixing glass with ice and stir. Strain the contents into a coupe glass and enjoy!

Bellini

The first Bellini was poured at Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy by barman Giuseppe Cipriani sometime around 1934 (“Bellini Cocktail”). Harry’s Bar was located off the Grand Canal and had a reputation for having a peaceful atmosphere and a menu of seasonal and local produce. The bar had welcome guests such as famous writers Ernest Hemingway and actor Humphrey Bogart. Venice was known for having delectable white peaches and sparkling wine. Cipriani took advantage of these two local delights and invented his own drink. The Bellin got its name because the unique color of the drink reminded Cipriani of the color palette used by the 15th-century painter Giovanni Bellini. The drink originally was seasonal, only being served from June to September to coincide with the white peach season. Eventually, a tactic was discovered to fresh-freeze the white peach puree and by 1988, you could get authentic Bellini in a bottle sold by the Canella Prosseco winery in Venice.

Recipe

Glass: Champagne Flute Tools: Stirrer

2 oz. Peach Puree 1 Bottle of Prosseco 1 Peach Slice

1. Pour peach puree into a glass 2. Pour chilled Prosseco into the glass and stir 3. Top off with another splash of Prosecco 4. Garnish with a peach slice

Old-Fashion Tip:

Make your own peach puree! Take 4 ripe peaches and peel them. Cut them in half and put them in a blender. Blend them until puree is smooth. Place puree in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and serve chilled.

Hemingway Daiquiri

Ernest Hemingway was an American novelist who was also notorious for his heavy drinking habits and taste. Hemingway’s selection of cocktails seemed to always aim to consume the most amount of alcohol in the least amount of time. How the Hemingway Daiquiri came to be is Hemingway was living in Havana, Cuba for most of the 1930s (Curtis). One night, he stumbled into the El Floridita bar looking for a bathroom and came across a bartender mixing a batch of frozen daiquiris. Hemingway tried the drink and told the bartender, “That’s good, but I’d prefer it without the sugar… and double the rum,”(Garret). The drink that came about from this interaction was not the Hemingway Daiquiri, but was the Papa Doble. “Papa” was Hemingway’s nickname in Cuba and “Doble” is Spanish for “double”. The Papa Doble was way too tart and strong for anyone to enjoy, so the El Floridita made a slightly different drink in Hemingway’s honor to appeal to the casual drinker. The El Floridita wanted to stay true to Hemingway’s disdain for sugary drinks, so they used Maraschino liqueur instead of simple syrup to up the sweetness.

Recipe

Glass: Coupe Tools: Shaker

2 oz. White Rum 1/2 oz. Maraschino Liqueur 3/4 oz. Lime Juice 1/2 oz. Grapefruit Juice 1 Lime Wheel

1. Add white rum, maraschino liqueur, lime juice, and grapefruit juice into a shaker with ice and shake well 2. Strain into a glass 3. Garnish with a lime wheel

Old-Fashion Tip:

Drink like Hemingway and make yourself a Papa Doble. Add 4 oz. white rum and a splash of lime juice to a mixer with ice. Shake and strain into a glass. Make sure to drink cold, so the alcohol goes down smooth.

French 75

The French 75 is named after the 75-millimeter light field gun, which was the French army’s weapon of choice during World War I (Difford). This particular gun was very powerful and soldiers were able to fire 15 rounds of ammo per minute. The drink was compared to it’s namesake gun being referred to as “the most powerful drink that hits with remarkable precision,” (Weaver). The French 75 cocktail has had many variations throughout the years, but the original backbone for the drink came about around 1914-1915 and was called the “Soixante-Quinze” which is french for “seventy-five” (Difford). One thing has always remained the same about all the different variations of the French 75, which was the use of gin and the name containing “75.” The recipe that stuck around was from Judge Jr.’s book Here’s How published in 1927, but was not popularized until Harry Cradock published it in The Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930. Serving champagne drinks in champagne flutes did not get popularized until the 1980s, which is now the most recent form the French 75 is served.

Recipe

Glass: Champagne Flute Tools: Shaker, Strainer

1 oz. Gin 1/2 oz. Lemon Juice 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup 3 oz. Champagne 1 Lemon Twist

1. Add gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup into a shaker with ice and shake well 2. Strain into a glass 3. Top with champagne 4. Garnish with a lemon twist