Alcademics

At Tales of the Cocktail this year, I attended a seminar called The 10 Books from Cocktail History You Never Knew You Needed (Until Now), which was lead by Robert Simonson of the New York Times and Dr Nicola Nice of Pomp & Whimsy gin liqueur.

You can find brief descriptions of the books below. And sometimes a little more info on the Pomp & Whimsy website, along with some information on other books. 

Between the two speakers, they chose 10 books to add to the important books of mixology (that were mostly written by white men). These added two Black authors and the rest mostly women to the list of important authors. As Nice pointed out, they show not so much new and innovative mixology, but the changing role of women as hosts - in the home and of the cocktail party. 

1. The Bartender's Manual by Theodore Proulx 1888
   
   1. First book to mention the Old Fashioned, and tied for the first Martini 
2. Mrs. Beeton's Book of Cookery and Household Management 1861
   1. Drinks divided into tea and coffee, soda water drinks, and alcohol. Lots of egg drinks, category of spirits and water. Not original recipes.
3. Julian's Recipes by Julian Anderson 1919
   1. Published 2 years after The Ideal Bartender, also by a Black writer. Only 20 pages long. 60 recipes; complicated Mint Julep with bourbon, brandy, and rum. 
4. Consolidated Library of Household Cooking and Modern Recipes by by Christine Herrick and Marion Harland, 1904
   1. 5 volumes, last one has cocktails and entertaining 
5. The Federation Cook Book: A Collection Of Tested Recipes Contributed By The Colored Women Of The State Of California by Bertha L. Turner, 1910
   1. Authored by a Black professional chef

6. A Bachelors Cupboard: Containing Crumbs Culled from the Cupboards of the Great Unwedded by Amy Lyman Phillips, 1906

   1. First reference to the Ward 8 cocktail 
7. What to Drink by Bertha E L Stockbridge, 1920
   1. Non-Alcoholic beverages of all sorts! Fruit drinks, lots of vinegars and shrubs
8. Live Alone and Like It: A Guide for the Extra Woman by Marjorie Hillis, 1936
   1. Women and cocktail parties, Vogue editor
9. Bacchus Behave! The Lost Art of Polite Drinking by Alma Whitaker, 1933
   1. About proper behavior around alcohol, teaching men to behave. 
10. Entertaining is Fun: How to Be a Popular Hostess 1941 by Dorothy Draper 
    1. Author was popular interior/bar designer, designed swizzle sticks to match each bar.