Imbibe! Updated and Revised Edition: From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to ’’Professor’’ Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar

394 Pages·2015·5.23 MB·English

by  David Wondrich

“Imbibe! rescues barman Jerry Thomas, an American hero, from the dustbin of
history. We drinkers and readers are in the debt of his scribe, Dave Wondrich,
who proves an engaging and intellectually curious guide to the barroom
netherworlds where ‘bottle conjurers’ and other ne’er-do-wells ‘carved their
deeds in ice.’”
—John T. Edge,
author of Southern Belly: The Ultimate Food Lover’s Companion to the South “David Wondrich has
drunk his way through two centuries of American cocktails and other mixed drinks. He emerges to
tell us, with clarity and wit, what he encountered, how it was made, and how to make it now. In his
re-creations of the drinks of yesteryear, he stops at nothing, even growing his own snakeroot to make
Jerry Thomas’s Bitters. Thomas was called ‘the Professor’ in his day. If this title belongs to any living
expert on the cocktail, it belongs to Wondrich.”
—Lowell Edmunds,
author of Martini, Straight Up
“David Wondrich is such an envy-producing polymath that it drives me to drink.
Brilliant historian, beautiful writer, former punk rocker, absinthe maker,
mixological marvel, and perhaps, yes, even wizard. Plus he can grow an amazing
beard. There are few people in the world I rely on to be so authoritative and so
entertaining all at once, and to mix an amazing cocktail at the same time. And
those few people are David Wondrich.”
—John Hodgman,
author of The Areas of My Expertise
BOOKS BY DAVID WONDRICH
Esquire Drinks
Stomp and Swerve
Killer Cocktails
Imbibe!
Punch

A PERIGEE BOOK
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A Penguin Random House Company
Copyright © 2007, 2015 by David Wondrich Parts of this book have appeared, in greatly altered form, in Esquire, Imbibe, and the
Whisky Advocate.
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Revised Perigee hardcover edition ISBN: 978-0-399-17261-8\
eBook ISBN: 978-0-69818185-4
The Library of Congress has cataloged the first Perigee hardcover edition as follows: Imbibe! : from absinthe cocktail to whiskey
smash, a salute in stories and drinks to “Professor” Jerry Thomas, pioneer of the American bar / David Wondrich.—1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-399-53287-0
1. Cocktails. 2. Drinking customs. 3. Thomas, Jerry, 1830–1885. I. Title.
TX951.W5663 2007
641.8'74—dc22 2007027096
PUBLISHING HISTORY
First Perigee hardcover edition / November 2007
Revised Perigee hardcover edition / April 2015
The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific health or
allergy needs that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for any adverse reactions to the recipes contained
in this book.
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Version_1
FOR MARINA
CONTENTS
PRAISE FOR IMBIBE!
BOOKS BY DAVID WONDRICH
TITLE PAGE
COPYRIGHT
DEDICATION
PREFACE TO THE REVISED EDITION
FOREWORD BY DALE DEGROFF
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1
“PROFESSOR” JERRY THOMAS: JUPITER OLYMPUS OF THE BAR
Who Reads an American Book?—An American and a Sailor, Too—In Realms of Gold—The Sporting
Fraternity—Mixing Excellent Drinks—Epilogue
CHAPTER 2
HOW TO MIX DRINKS, OR WHAT WOULD JERRY THOMAS DO?
I. How They Used to Do It: The Archaic Age (1783–1830)—The Baroque Age (1830–1885)—The Classic
Age (1885–1920)
II. How to Do It Now: Bar Gear—Sugar—Twists—Cherries and Olives—Eggs—Ice—Glassware
III. Spirits: Applejack (Also Known as Apple Whiskey)—Arrack—Brandy—Champagne—Cordials and
Absinthe—Gin—Rum—Tequila—Vermouths—Vodka—Whiskey
IV. Quantities
A Note on the Recipes
CHAPTER 3
PUNCHES
I. A Large Glass of Punch: Brandy Punch (Including Curaçoa Punch, West Indian Punch, Barbadoes
Punch, and Tamarind Punch)—Vanilla Punch—Pisco Punch—Cold Whiskey Punch—Hot Whiskey
Punch—Gin Punch—The Collins Twins: John and Tom—Claret Punch—Milk Punch—Mountain
Punch—Mississippi Punch (Including El Dorado Punch)—St. Charles Punch (Including
Enchantress)—Prince of Wales’s Punch—National Guard Seventh Regiment Punch—Sixty-Ninth
Regiment Punch—Hot Milk Punch—General Burnside’s Favorite—Boston Rum Punch—The
Herald Punch
CHAPTER 4
THE CHILDREN OF PUNCH: COLLINSES, DAISIES, FIZZES, SOURS,
COBBLERS, COOLERS, AND A GLANCE AT THE SWIZZLE
I. The Lesser Punches: Fixes and Sours (and a Couple of Bostonian Fancies): Brandy, Gin, Santa Cruz, or
Whiskey Fix—Brandy, Gin, Santa Cruz, or Whiskey Sour (Including Egg Sour and New York Sour)
—Pisco Sour—Moral Suasion—Knickerbocker (Including the White Lion)
II. Daisies and Fizzes: The Daisy—Whiskey, Brandy, Gin, or Rum Daisy (Old School)—Gin, Brandy,
Rum, or Whiskey Daisy (New School) (Including Tequila Daisy)—Gin, Whiskey, Brandy, or Santa
Cruz Rum Fizz (Including Crushed Strawberry Fizz)—Silver Fizz—Morning Glory Fizz (Including
Saratoga Brace Up)—New Orleans Fizz, Alias Ramos Gin Fizz
III. The Cobbler: Sherry Cobbler (Including Hock Cobbler, Claret Cobbler, and Whiskey Cobbler)
—Champagne Cobbler
IV. Three Popular Coolers: The Joe Rickey (and the Gin Rickey) (Including the Gin Buck)—Florodora
(Including Imperial Style)—Singapore Gin Sling, Alias Straits Sling
V. A Glance at the Swizzle: Green Swizzle
CHAPTER 5
A HANDFUL OF EGG DRINKS
Egg Nogg: Baltimore Egg Nogg—Egg Nogg (Individual)—General Harrison’s Egg Nogg—Texian Egg
Nogg—Tom & Jerry—Sherry Flip (Including Port Wine Flip)
CHAPTER 6
TODDIES, SLINGS, JULEPS, AND SUCH
I. Rum, Brandy, Whiskey, or Gin Toddy, Hot: Apple Toddy—Whisky Skin—Blue Blazer
II. Gin, Brandy, Whiskey, or Rum Sling, Cold: Jersey Sunset
III. Juleps and Smashes: Joe Redding’s Julep—Prescription Julep—Mint Julep—Pineapple Julep
—Brandy, Gin, or Whiskey Smash
IV. Sangaree: Port Wine Sangaree (Including Sherry Sangaree, Madeira Sangaree, Porter Sangaree, Ale
Sangaree, Brandy Sangaree, and Gin Sangaree)
V. Three Yankee Favorites: Hot Spiced (or Buttered) Rum—Stone Fence—Black Strap (Alias the Black
Stripe)
CHAPTER 7
THE COCKTAIL, PROPERLY CONSIDERED
Dr. Stoughton’s Elixir Magnum—What’s in a Name?—American Roots: The Where and the When—The
Cocktail in New York and Points South and West—The Cocktail Grows Up—Prequel: The Original
Cocktail
I. Plain, Fancy, Improved, and Old-Fashioned: Plain Brandy, Gin, or Whiskey Cocktail—Fancy Brandy,
Gin, or Whiskey Cocktail (Including Chicago Cocktail, Alias Saratoga Cocktail)—Improved Brandy,
Gin, or Whiskey Cocktail—Sazerac Cocktail—Old-Fashioned Whiskey, Brandy, or Holland Gin
Cocktail (Including American Farmer)
CHAPTER 8
ENTER VERMOUTH
I. The Originals: Vermouth, Manhattan, and Martini Cocktails: Vermouth Cocktail (Including Fancy
Vermouth Cocktail)—Manhattan Cocktail: Formula #1 (Old Standard); Formula #2 (Reverse);
Formula #3 (New Standard)—Martini Cocktail: Formula #1 (Turf Club); Formula #2 (Martinez
Cocktail); Formula #3 (Fourth Degree)—Dry Martini Cocktail—Gibson Cocktail
II. Other Vermouth Cocktails: Metropole Cocktail—Rob Roy Cocktail—Star Cocktail—Racquet (Club)
Cocktail—Saratoga Cocktail—Bijou Cocktail—Weeper’s Joy—Bamboo Cocktail—Princeton
Cocktail (Including Zaza Cocktail and Tuxedo Cocktail)—Brooklyn Cocktail—Blue Moon Cocktail
—San Martín Cocktail—Presidente Cocktail
CHAPTER 9
EVOLVED COCKTAILS, OR WHAT HATH ORGEAT WROUGHT?
I. Exotic Blooms: Japanese Cocktail—East India Cocktail—Widow’s Kiss—Absinthe Cocktail and
Absinthe Frappé
II. The (Other) Fizz: Champagne Cocktail—Jersey Cocktail (Including Soda Cocktail)—Buck and Breck
(Including Russian Cocktail)—Prince of Wales’s Cocktail—Morning Glory Cocktail
III. Miscegenation, or Crustas, Wet Hens, and Cocktail Punches: Brandy, Whiskey, or Gin Crusta—Coffee
Cocktail—Wet Hen—Modern Cocktail—Bronx Cocktail—Jack Rose Cocktail—Clover Club Cocktail
—Daiquiri Cocktail—Aviation Cocktail—Ward Eight—Last Word
IV. The Stinger
CHAPTER 10
BITTERS AND SYRUPS
I. Bitters: Jerry Thomas’s Own Decanter Bitters—Stoughton’s Bitters—Boker’s Bitters
II. Syrups: Gum Syrup (True)—Gum Syrup (Bartender’s) (Including Rich Simple Syrup)—Pineapple,
Raspberry, and Other Fruit and Berry Syrups

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A FEW RECOLLECTIONS OF THE DISTANT PAST
INDEX