The early decades of the twentieth century saw some taxing times, what with there being a world war and all, but that still didn’t stop people from flocking to the Shepheard’s hotel to bask in its elegance. Located in Cairo, Egypt this hotel was famous for its extravagance. It was so famous that…Read more
Hang on, I’m not quite done with Captain Low just yet. Remember when I said that he understood the power of punch? I wasn’t just referring to the parties that his crew were having below the deck. I have stated that punch brought pirate crews together. But it wasn’t only for a party…Read more
This post begins with the following excerpt taken from A General History of Pyrates (yes, it is spelled that way), a book written under the pseudonym Captain Charles Johnson.
Low takes a Bowl of Punch in his Hand, and drinks to him, saying, Captain Graves, here’s half this to you. But the poor Gentleman ,….Read more
On a sunny evening in April 1874 (quite possibly the 1st), a man named Jones marched into New York’s prestigious Delmonico’s asking for the whereabouts of a ‘little man with a small black moustache.’ Just a reminder that this was 15 years before Adolf Hitler was born, so no, he wasn’t looking for him. The hostess at the NY hotspot told Jones,….Read more
In 1850 Edward Buffum walked into a makeshift building situated just a short distance from a rapidly growing community of settlers near the Barbary Coast. The large doors opened to reveal a ,….Read more
Perhaps one of the cocktail’s greatest mysteries is who drank the first one. But if people had to guess, I think most would probably assume that the first cocktails were drunk by a bunch of wealthy, white American men who,….Read more
In 1860 a man entered the now historical halls of Richmond’s Exchange Hotel, a popular spot in America’s Southern state. The tourist was bearded, stately, and elaborately clothed for the tender age of 19. The truth was, the man was no mere man. He was….Read more
Twenty years before the Eiffel Tower was built, the city of Paris had another major tourist attraction. Beginning on the 1st of April and continuing through the seven months that followed was the fourth World Exhibition. Except it wasn’t called a World Exhibition….Read more
While the career of Jerry Thomas was flying high and it seemed his fanciful tales of self-aggrandisement would filter through the populace untarnished, it became abundantly clear that the inventor of the first Tom and Jerry was about to have a competitor. That man was Harry Johnson…Read more
In 1861 a young German was employed on a ship meant to sail around the world. Unfortunately, his trip was cut short. This wasn’t due to any stormy seas. While working on the vessel the fifteen-year-old broke his arm, which meant he was no longer useful…..Read more
Tucked on a side street of the bustling tree lined mosaic of La Rambla, you can find Barcelona’s oldest cocktail bar. Its name is Boadas and it is one of the few places in the world where your Martini will be prepared with a dexterous bartending technique called throwing…..Read more
Allow me to introduce you to Lola. Who was a dancer. A dancer who could not sing, or act, and was terrible at ballet. A dancer who took a few lessons in Spain because, I don’t exactly know why, I guess she liked the way the Spanish danced. Truthfully though, Lola was not a good Spanish dancer either….Read more
On November 3rd 1874, Democratic candidate Samuel J. Tilden was elected governor of the state of New York. To celebrate socialite Jenny Jerome threw a party in her father’s NYC mansion. The mansion eventually became the headquarters for the city’s historic Manhattan Club. The governor eventually ran for President of the United States. He lost…Read more
Of all the bartenders nearing the end of the 19th century, William Schmidt (yes, another William) seems to be written about in the press the most. Many refer to him as the second greatest bartender of his time. The first being Jerry Thomas of course…….Read more
Long before the days of overpriced bottles of shitty alcohol, chemical infusions of MDMA, and exclusive VIP rooms that were tucked into the obscure buildings of New York, before there was Miley Cyrus, Fatboy Slim, Madonna or Studio 54, there was another kind of club taking over the city’s social scene…….Read more.
This post is not about a whale. Unlike some of my other posts, it is also not about a William. This entry is about an Englishman named Sir Thomas Davey. Through the years of 1813 to 1817, Sir Thomas Davey served as Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen’s Land, the Australian island that is now called Tasmania..….Read more
“I have seen above 20 sail at a time in this road come to lade salt; and these ships coming from some of the Caribbean Islands are always well stored with rum, sugar and lime-juice to make punch, to hearten their men when they are at work,.….Read more
“… I never saw anything that can compare with the sleight of hand, the gymnastic skill of the group behind the bar…The rapid way in which they would range a string of tumblers from hand to elbow-bow filling at the same time out of …….Read more
If you know anything about cocktail history, chances are you have heard of Mr. Jerry Thomas, aka the ‘Professor’, aka the ‘Father of Mixology’. In case you don’t know, Jerry Thomas is perhaps most famous for publishing the first known collection of cocktail and punch recipes. Entitled…….Read more
It was a balmy afternoon in June, 1598. Sir Francis Drake and his crew had been at sea for months on end. On this day at the request of the Crown, they were on their way to sack the port of Havana. But there was a problem. Drake’s crew was sick. Very sick…….Read more
It’s 1925. You are walking down a cobblestone street in Manhattan when you see a yellow light precariously placed over a closed wooden door. You think this is the place, so you courageously walk over to the building and knock four times. You tell the large burly man who opens the door that Harry sent…..Read more