MxMo Repeal Day
I wanted to find a cocktail guide that was published as close to Repeal Day (Wikipedia) as possible. My stash from Powell’s in Portland was nearly untouched, so I looked there. After digging through a dust-filled box, I found a wood and leather-bound cocktail guide from 1941 called Here’s How. It somehow remained in pristine condition save a few stains on the first page. I cracked it open and was met with a comforting old book smell.
Looking at the recipes definitely dates the book, but surprisingly enough, it was most likely retro even for its time. Here’s How is filled with flips, cobblers, smashes, skins, pousse cafes, fizzes, fixes, daisies, and even sangarees, the latter of which I’ve never heard of.
I must admit, most of the drinks I’ve tried from this book weren’t that good. I went through a slew of odd concoctions that I’d never tried before, like the Morning Glory highball, which attempted to combine brandy, whiskey, curacao, and absinthe in one drink. But I finally stumbled upon the Brace Up, and my hope in the book was renewed.
Brace Up
- 1T powdered sugar
- 3 dashes Angostura Bitters
- 3 dashes lemon juice
- 1 dash lime juice
- 2 dashes anisette
- 1 whole egg
- 1 1/2oz cognac
- club soda to top
Shake the bejezzus out of it with ice and strain into a fun glass. Top with club soda.
Here’s How, W.C. Whitfield
Not wanting to leave you with only one drink from this delightful tome, I thought I’d pick something that had rum in it.
Thomas and Jeremiah
- 2 1/4oz white rum (used 3/4oz 151-proof Lemon Hart Demerara Rum and 1oz gold Puerto Rican rum)
- 2 dashes lime juice
- 1 1/2c hot cider
Here’s How, W.C. Whitfield
I was delightfully pleased with this last one. It will quickly become part of my winter rotation.
KP Questions
- Does anyone else have this book? What are your thoughts on it?
- There are many ingredients in this book I have never heard of. Can you identify any of them?
- Orchard Syrup
- Sweet Catawba
- Abricotine
- Fruit syrup
- Prinelle
8 Responses to “MxMo Repeal Day”
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Sweet Catawba is a sweet, sparkling, and slightly alcoholic grape beverage made from the native American Catawba grape. Google Virginia Dare. Abricotine was an English Apricot liqueur. Prinelle I’m guessing is Prunelle, a liqueur made from prune plums.
Orchard syrup and Fruit Syrup, I’m not sure about.
My god, man, do all your posts have homework now?!
I’ve been meaning to comment on your “Art of the Bar” post, since I’ve tried a bunch of its recipes, but like I did with all homework, I’m putting it off until the morning it’s due.
The Thomas and Jeremiah looks like it will have to become a staple of my winter drinking as well. How fortuitous that I just bought a goodly amount of cider!
I have that book too! I’m not sure it smells like old books, but it does smell like something not nice. The first page on mine looks like it went on fire at some point. During a Blue Blazer no doubt?
Oh man, I love that cover of that book. Great post! I’ll have to give ye olde Thomas and Jeremiah a go…
Thomas and Jeremiah sounds amazing! And isn’t fruit syrup just a syrup made of fruits?
re: catawba
http://www.myohiowine.com/subscribe/product.asp?ProductID=213
and yes, i have a copy (along with a copy of embury’s book, the only rare cocktail book i own). i think i bought it, cheap, soon after seeing your magnificent picture (we love abe.com). it got a little sticky in the great summer pimento explosion disaster of ‘o8.
opinions to follow.
–cz
Late comment, I know, buy I was searching for prinelle and landed here. I have Here’s How as well as its sister book Just Cocktails published in 1939. It had the same wood and leather strap binding but the carved cover image features a rooster. I love the quotations and illustrations on every page. Did you ever figure out what prinelle is?