1908 The World's Drinks and How to Mix Them by Hon Wm Boothby

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WlTTY, W!P.E AND OTHERWISE.

. In making lemonades, whiskey, brandy, gin or any kind of cocktails, whiskey, brandy, white wine or imperial punches, juleps or any beverage con– taining any effen-escent liquid, always ?nix with a spoon. A shaker should be used only in the mixing of frozen absinthes, milk punches, egg nogs, claret punches, fizzes, cobblers or drinks that cannot be dissolved with a spoon; or beverages that must be frozen. In opening a bottle of any wine or liquor of any description, always strive to jar the contents as little as possible so that, should there be any sediment in the bottle, it will not be served with the drink, but will remain at the bottom. A bottle of old Burgundy or fine claret is unfit for use after having been shaken just before serving; and any connoisseur's appetite for a good drink of wine or liquor is always more or less impaired by b eing compelled to drink any beverage which has been poured from an almost empty bottle of any wine or liquor. In making drinks req1tiring a c01nbination of sugar and lime or lemon juice, no strict rule regarding the quantity of either sour or sweet can be adhered to, as no two tastes are exactly alike, and the quantity of juice in different lemons and limes varies. Therefore, a bartender must necessarily use his own judgment regarding the blending of these indispensable ingredients. The great trick in making punches, sours, lemonades, and all drinks neces 0 sitating the use of a mll.'ture of sour and sweet, is to blend them so that the taste of one will be no more perceptible than the flavor of the other. This can only be acquired by practice, and is one of the most important secrets in barkeeping. The question of "what are the exact requirements of a bartender to please the average boss" ~s one that puzzles the average mixologist. Because a man cuts some ice in the effete Hub is no indication that he will amount to beans among a lot of husky Germans, and because he made good at Chapin & Gore's in Chicago, it does not sigiufy that his methods and personality would favorably impress the patrons or the proprietor of the St. Charles in New Orleans or the manager of the Coronado in San Diego. The style of mixing and serving differs in various sections of the universe, aud no two saloon men think alike unless they are in the same firm, and then when the private office-door is shut they fight like cats and dogs. Some people think that there are a few little rules that a clerk could stick to that would enable him to get along with any one; but this is not true. I once applied for a position in oue of Chicago's leading hotel bars, aud when I informed the manager that I bad been employed in nearly all the large cities of this country, besides having had considerable e_xperience in the Orient as well as in the islands of the Pacific ancl on the contrnent of Europe, he said: "Young man, you skip around too much; I must have some one more settlecl in life."