“… 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 different cocks, and flinging them to different customers, without spilling a drip, was a sight in and of itself, not to mention the magical manner in which the described arched brandy bows, ceiling high, from tumbler to tumbler, without a spatter, manufacturing multifarious compounds with one hand and counting change with the other, dashing plain nobblers and whisky drinks, ales and Old Toms about with a reckless indifference, as if glass were cast-iron, and fluids never lost their centre of gravity…They [the bartenders] are undeniable looking down-Easters in snow white shirts and pointed beards who would have a cocktail under your nose before your lips had finished its utterance.”
This is an excerpt from the journal of William Kelly. It is not depicting a cocktail bar in New Orleans, or New York, or anywhere in the United States. It isn’t London, Paris, or anywhere in Europe either. This was written to describe the bar service at the Criterion Hotel in Melbourne, Australia. And it wasn’t written in 2000, or the 1930s, or even 1900 for that matter. It was in fact written almost 170 years ago in 1854. Yep. That’s right. Melbourne does have a cocktail history after all. Who knew?
William Kelly was an Irish born author and a not so boring lawyer who travelled the world during the American and Australian Gold Rushes. He had been to the cocktail havens of London, New York, and America’s Wild West before landing on the sandy shores of Port Phillip. (that’s modern-day Melbourne) Which makes this entry even more intriguing. Because it means that William had seen some things. Surely, he had sampled cocktails. But his fascination and admiration for what he witnessed at the Criterion implies that Melbourne at the time, had some of the most sophisticated cocktail service in the world. I admit, it’s hard to believe. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t true.
In 1853, just a few short years after the discovery of gold, Americans Samuel Moss and Charles Wedel renovated and reopened a hotel in the Melbourne city district. The Criterion Hotel was a massive undertaking. It consisted of a hotel, a dining space, a theatre- even a bowling alley at some point was connected to this place of business. Like the drinking palaces of America’s West, its bar was made of marble slabs that flaunted elaborately decorated decanters. Brass chandeliers hung from its lofty ceilings and the walls were graced with massive ornate mirrors reflecting light into every corner of the bar. Although run by two entrepreneurs from the United States, this hotel did not only cater to the ‘Yankees’ who migrated to Australia. The Criterion was overflowing with local and visiting Australians, and also travellers and diggers who had arrived in Melbourne from countries scattered all over the world. When I was reading this entry, I kept trying to envision what it would have been like to have a drink at the Criterion in 1854. And it got me thinking…
Does any of this sound familiar? The white jackets? The pointed beards? The men flinging cocks behind the bar? Call me crazy, but this description sounds almost identical to what I have witnessed in some of the world’s cocktail bars during this decade. Aside from the obvious differences, (like an attached bowling alley, or the cloud of atrocious odours that might have wafted in from the street) cities like New York, London, Singapore, Hong Kong, all have bars that exude a delicate combination of playfulness and sophisticated flair that kind of makes you want to sit down and stay a little longer. (come to think of it, the atrocious odour thing might still be a problem.) Still, I find the idea that the drink, the bar service, and even its patron demographic can remain relatively the same for centuries truly fascinating. How is it that such a detailed description can be so oddly alike almost two centuries later? In a way, this consistency renders the cocktail an unchanged experience. A tiny piece of pleasure that has survived the test of time. The next chance you get to take a celebratory swig of your overpriced Martini in a fancy hotel bar, remember, it isn’t just a taste of luxury you’re getting with that drink, it’s a small, saturated sip of timelessness.
**What do you think? Do think the cocktail is a timeless experience? Did you know Melbourne had a cocktail history? I want to know! Share your thoughts in the comments/chat below.
Sounds like people knew how to drink fancy and set the mood all the way back when ><