annieb123's Review of Gilded Age Cocktails (Washington Mews Books)

by Cecelia Tichi

A delightful romp through America's Golden Age of Cocktails
The decades following the American Civil War burst with invention-they saw the dawn of the telephone, the motor car, electric lights, the airplane-but no innovation was more welcome than the beverage heralded as the "cocktail."
The Gilded Age, as it came to be known, was the Golden Age of Cocktails, giving birth to the classic Manhattan and martini that can be ordered at any bar to this day. Scores of whiskey drinks, cooled with ice chips or cubes that chimed against the glass, proved doubly pleasing when mixed, shaken, or stirred with special flavorings, juices, and fruits. The dazzling new drinks flourished coast to coast at sporting events, luncheons, and balls, on ocean liners and yachts, in barrooms, summer resorts, hotels, railroad train club cars, and private homes.
From New York to San Francisco, celebrity bartenders rose to fame, inventing drinks for exclusive universities and exotic locales. Bartenders poured their liquid secrets for dancing girls and such industry tycoons as the newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst and the railroad king "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt.
Cecelia Tichi offers a tour of the cocktail hours of the Gilded Age, in which industry, innovation, and progress all take a break to enjoy the signature beverage of the age. Gilded Age Cocktails reveals the fascinating history behind each drink as well as bartenders' formerly secret recipes. Though the Gilded Age cocktail went "underground" during the Prohibition era, it launched the first of many generations whose palates thrilled to a panoply of artistically mixed drinks.

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Gilded Age Cocktails is a beautifully curated collection of history, minutiae, and cocktails by Dr. Cecelia Tichi. Due out 4th May 2021 from NYU Press, it's 176 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is such an exuberant and well written ode to historical and classic cocktails and drinking culture. The author is both a teacher of literature and clearly enamored of the elegance and refinement (and sometimes humor) to be found in these classic libations and their origins. This is not just a bar book full of recipes. To the contrary, it's a history essay with recipes interspersed in the relevant stories. The recipe for the "Blue Blazer" is contained in the story of Jerry Thomas, the originator of the drink (and quite a character, according to this account). The recipe for the "Tuxedo" is presented in a charming interlude on the Erie Railway and passengers who were offered a complimentary cocktail by the railway en route to Tuxedo Park. There are many more presented in a similar vein.
Each of the recipes includes an introductory description and yields, ingredients in American standard (oz), and step by step instructions. Variations and alternatives are provided at the end of the recipes. The book also includes a useful bibliography and links resources for further reading as well as a fairly comprehensive glossary of terms and an index.

Many of the ingredients should be available at any well stocked grocery/liquor store although some might need to be sourced at specialists.

Cocktails are such a civilized interlude and this book includes a solid cross section of classics to build mixology skills and impress one's friends at the next gathering.

Five stars. Fans of the period as well as cocktail fans won't want to miss this one. It should be sought out as a well written history of the cocktails along with recipes, and not the reverse.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Gilded Age Cocktails (Washington Mews Books)

by Cecelia Tichi

Reviewed by annieb123 on Apr 25, 2021

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