The Trouble With Harry

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 to his employer. Thanks to the absence of labour laws, he was abandoned in the port of San Francisco, where he eventually ended up working at the Union Hotel as a vegetable peeler. That young man was Harry Johnson. At least that is what it says on Wikipedia- and a lot of other websites written by historians. Where this story comes from, I don’t know. But I do know that Harry Johnson’s first migration to California wasn’t so dramatic. In 1852 Harry did arrive at the port of San Francisco on the SS Speculant. Fortunately, he was accompanied by his parents. I say fortunately because, in 1852, Harry was only seven. And although the Johnson family spoke German, they were not from Germany. They were from Prussia, a small piece of Europe that no longer exists because nobody knows how to get along.

I realize there are some readers here who might be wondering who the F Harry Johnson is. Harry, sometimes referred to as ‘The Dean’, was just another well-established bartender during America’s Golden Age of drinking. At least that is how he is often portrayed. Even cocktail historian David Wondrich has stated that Harry “lacked the magnificence” that other bartenders (i.e. Jerry Thomas) had during this era. (Although, per the above pic he did create a tower of cascading whiskey cocktails that won him a 1,000 prize at a bartending competition in New Orleans.)  Competitions aside, maybe he was lacking some, flair.

But personally, I think the man’s success is often understated. After years of research, it is my humble opinion, that Harry was one of the most influential figures in hospitality during the nineteenth century. I say this because, in 1882, Harry Johnson published a New and Improved Bartender’s Manual. More than simply a list of recipes, this publication was a comprehensive how-to guide for owning and operating a hospitality business in the United States. The manual has instructions on how to purchase and furnish a bar, how to manage staff, how to manage money, how to order stock, how to clean the bathroom…at this point, you may be thinking what I was thinking when reading this manual, which is;

Why is the first edition of this book called New and Improved? There is an answer to this question, but that is for another post.

 

All titles aside, the manual’s words are soaked in humility. Printed in both English and German, this book was not ‘The Dean’s’ only contribution to the world of hospitality. Harry also fought vigorously for a bartender’s union. He believed bartending was not a job but a profession that required training and skill, one that warranted respect. He was also very sensitive to employer-employee relations, insisting that employers had a responsibility to treat their staff as family and to cultivate a work environment that enhanced everyone’s well-being. Knowing all of this made me think, firstly, that Harry probably had some shitty bosses. (I don’t know who those people were, but I do have my suspicions.) But the thing that made Harry stand out the most to me is that rather than being shady and secretive about the lessons he learned in his own career, Harry truly sought to share his knowledge. This humble, gracious attitude lies in contrast to so many of the bartender’s competitors. Because of this, I always felt these actions said a lot about the character of Harry Johnson, a man who seemed to care about integrity and treating others with gentility and respect. Partially thanks to his manual, these values became a standard function of cocktail service for the hundred years that followed.

That is why I was shocked when reading an article in The Fargo Forum and Daily Republican. (That was a newspaper published in North Dakota’s most populated city, which hosted a whole 8,000 people at the time) Written in 1910, the column included the words of an incensed reporter from Baltimore who basically called Harry a liar. The author didn’t say that specifically. But the article did state that Harry claimed to be the originator of both the cocktail and mint julep. The next few sentences discredited Harry by listing some facts and a few inaccurate histories of the cocktail. The author also stated that Harry bragged about serving Senator Horace Greenly a drink. Apparently, Horace Greenly was a known teetotaller (meaning he didn’t know how to enjoy himself in life). The entire column was scripted in such a way that any reader would assume that Harry Johnson was a braggart who just wasn’t in the business of telling the truth. (Although as far as senator Greely goes, I’m not sure I believe that he never had a drink. In no surprise to anyone, there were lots of politicians who publicly claimed to support Temperance, while they were getting wasted in the privacy of their exclusive gentleman’s clubs.) Regardless, this unflattering depiction of Harry gives me issues. I always liked ‘The Dean’, Harry Johnson and I have a really hard time thinking of him as an egotistical liar. Instead, I have another theory.

I’ll admit I could be wrong, but I suspect Harry’s rise to success might have annoyed the crap out of some very well-known competitors. Annoyed them to a point where they might have taken a break from talking about themselves, so they could instead talk some shit about Harry. Why do I think that? The answer is a long story, but it’s coming in my next post.

**What do you think?  Do you think Harry Johnson was a liar?  Do you think most bartenders of his time might have stretched the truth? I want to know!  Let me know in the comments/chat below!

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