Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails

In this new, expanded edition of Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails—issued for the 100th Anniversary of National Prohibition—historian, expert, and drink aficionado Ted Haigh, aka Dr. Cocktail vastly widens his examination of 1920–1933, the thirteen-year period when women got the Vote, child labor was abolished and, ironically, saw the cocktail elevated, prolonged, and expanded, spreading this signature American drink form in tasty ripples around the world. All this, plus more drink recipes!

Nothing is so desired as the thing denied. Prohibition made people want cocktails very, very badly. Because "synthetic" liquor was the easiest to make, it was also the easiest to get. Problematically, it tasted awful and wasn't exactly good for you either. Cocktails with their mélange of flavors were a made-to-order method for disguising the bad hooch.

Along with 100+ rare and delicious authentic recipes gathered from old cocktail manuals and scraps of paper never published, this illustrated trip down mixology lane tells the fascinating origins of the cocktail and how it evolved over time, including its rising popularity during Prohibition. Vintage illustrations and advertisements, photos of old bottles and cocktail artifacts, and fascinating Prohibition-era photographs bring the tippling past back to vivid life.

Recipes for rare treasures like The Fogcutter, Knickerbocker à la Monsieur, The Moscow Mule, and Satan’s Whiskers are each presented with:

• Historical background on its origin and cultural context
• Drink Notes that provide additional information on ingredients and tips for substitutions and variations
• Fascinating historical ephemera from Dr. Cocktail's personal collection

This homage to the great bartenders of the past and the beverages they created also profiles some of the most influential cocktail pioneers of today. For anyone who enjoys an icy drink and an unforgettable tale, this is a must-have volume.