1939 The Gentleman's Companion volume II Beeing an Exotic Drinking Book

THE EXOTIC DRINKING BOOK

this invention is totally sound, and is already quite famous throughout the Near East. We ran into it one dank day of sleet and rain in early January, just after the first Arab-Jewish riots which started with a murder of a poor old man stoned to death in a Haifa melon patch, between halves of a soccer match! and had just reached a climax be– side the Dome of the Rock mosque-which has religious significance to both Arab and Jew, and unfortunately overhangs the famous Jew– ish Wailing Wall. We won't go into the politics of the thing, but it was a nasty mess, with British Tommies in the streets finally, and machine guns and barbed wire entanglements-all the modern civi– lized show.... We were disillusioned at all this wholesale murder in Christianity's own heart city, sad at the sight of a' fifteen year old Arab girl-the daughter of a fine Arab friend-crushed under a heavy slab of masonry tossed from a rooftop as she returned from worship after the end of Ramadan-the Mohammedan Easter-and we were wearied at the thought of the drawn knives, the murder from ambush which would follow all this blood debt throughout Palestine. We had both sinuses pounding, were coming down with definitely something, as well-when in the weird, almost Egyptian-looking sanctum of the King David Weber took charge; first with a hot rum toddy, then– on evidence of renewed life-with the following origination. Of cognac, cointreau, dry gin and lemon juice-strained-take equal parts. Shake briskly with lots of cracked ice and serve in a Man– hattan glass. Cut down the cointreau to make "dry," to taste. THE JAMAICAN BLACK STRAP, from the FORMULA of an AMERICAN FRIEND WHo INHERITED a MouNTAIN PLANTATION on JAMAICA'S WINDWARD SIDE, not too FAR from PoRT ANTONIO This is a strange drink, and will arouse a lot of interest among strangers, only better be sure they admire Jamaica rum-many ladies don't, for instance I ... Take 2 jiggers of old Jamaica rum, add 2 tbsp ice water, 2 tsp blackstrap molasses, and I dash Angostura, or 2 dashes of orange bitters. Shake with lots of cracked ice, and garnish with a thin stick of fresh pineapple. . 17 .