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

THE GENTLEMAN'S COMPANION

CERTOSA ... No one who has ever been outside Florence to the lovely little monastery with its old gardens and the one privileged Padre who is allowed to speak that day, will ever forget Certosa.... We have half a dozen of their brightly painted and glazed bottles, shaped like globes in eagles claws, Della Robbia bambinos and Virgins in flat bottles. . . . And within yellow and green liqueurs much like Chartreuse, only Italian. Their strawberry Certosa is especially, and oddly delicious.... Never used for cocktails, just as liqueurs, and with coffee. Pronounced Chair-toes' -a. CHARTREUSE . . . One of the cordial immortals of all time. Like Benedictine and Certosa, Chartreuse is the product of monks-this time of the Carthusian Order, and formerly only at their establishment in the French Alps called Grande Chartreuse. . . . Unfortunately this order was banished from France to Spain just after the turn of the cen– t'.ury and, at Tarragona, they again set up with their secret formula compounded of elixirs from odd and rare herbs, water, sugar, and fine spirits.... Naturally all of France sprouted imitations. Clever chemical folk_pronounce it made up of the following essences: Sweet flag, orange peel, peppermint oil, dried tops of hyssop, balm, leaves of balm, angelica seeds and root, wormwood, tonka bean, cardamons, as well as well known spices such as mace, cloves and cinnamon. Nice, simple little formula, this! Green is most pungent, expensive, and a bottle will run as high as forty dollars alleged gold per quart, in the older supplies. . . . Yellow is just as good, and more aromatic; and is not only invaluable as a liqueur with coffee, in pousses cafes, but is the final decoration for a Gin Daisy, and other delicate drinks.... White is sweetest. . CHERRY BRANDY ... Danish Kirsehoer is best, and may be one hun– dred years of age! In more recent vintages it is widely used in many cocktails, as well as a liqueur and pousse cafe.

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CORDIAL_MEDOC . . . Not used often in cocktails, but with coffee, and alone. It is one of the most delicate liqueurs extant, giving a rich after- . 184.