1931 Old Waldorf Bar Days by Albert Stevens Crockett

Glossary

CURA~AO-Often mispronounced "Curacoa," especially by Englishmen. A liquor made by distilling spirits with orange peel and certain spices. Manufactured originally in Hol– land. Name derived from that of a Dutch island off the north coast of South America. Voltage, 55.

DUBONNET-A proprietary French bitters or tonic, one of whose ingredients was sai.d to be quinine.

GIN- Originally a dr.ink distilled from malt or other grain and afterwards rectified with and flavored with juniper ber– ries. Manufactured in Holland, under the name of Hol– lands, Schiedam, and Schnapps. For the effect of Schnapps, see Washington Irving's tale of that sterling New Yorker of pre-war times, Rip Van Winkle. Also manufactured in England under various names, notably: Gordon, Booth's, Old Tom, Nicholson, Plymouth, House, of Lords, etc. Among the lower classes of London, "gin' is alcohol, fla– vored with oil of turpentine and common salt. The term is often used generically for "bad liquor." In some parts of the Cotton Belt, "gin" signifies a ~everage whose effects are momentarily synonymous with those produced by the saws of a cotton gin-'from which it is not derived. The actual derivation is from the Dutch jenever, itself coming from the old French wordjenevre, meaning juniper. Gin was sometimes called "Geneva," or "Geneva Water," and as– cribed to Swiss invention; but it is interesting to note that the country of which Geneva is the capital has lately leg– islated itself away from association with strong drink. Volt– age, 54·3· SLOE GIN-Not to be confused with the real gin, and it should be noted that as compared with real gin, its effects are described by its first name, differently spelled. Sloe Gin is a sort of cordial made by distillation from a small, plum– like, astringent fruit, or a distillation flavored with the same. [ 237]