The Spirit World

So many secrets have been lost.

At the dawn of (cocktail) time, great masters (like Jerry Thomas and Harry Johnson) emerged. These giants of the earth were able to wrest secrets from the primordial elements (like gin and brandy and bitters and ice), and from them craft potions of eldritch potency. In their wisdom, these masters recorded their secrets in tomes of lore (like The Bartender’s Guide, or How to Mix All Kinds of Plain and Fancy Drinks and New and Improved Bartender’s Manual, or How To Mix Drinks of the Present Style). Acolytes, hungry for knowledge, came to study at the feet of the masters, and in turn added their portion to the growing body of lore, and recorded their discoveries in similar fashion, and each grew in power and knowledge.

Then came the dark times (Prohibition).

The masterful potions were deemed occult and pernicious, and of the Devil, and the mages were forced underground, or else to flee into distant lands. Many strove to keep the old lore alive, and some (like Frank Meier) were even able to fan the flickering flame into new sparks of knowledge.

In time (1933), the forces of darkness were defeated, and the mages were allowed to return. But, much had been lost. The old tomes of lore had been lost or discarded, and the masters found themselves without honor in their own land. Their task was left to a new generation of potion makers, who strove to rebuild the old craft from what remained. In the face of all challenges, they triumphed, and ushered in a new Golden Age of the potion maker’s art. They, too, chose books and journals as the repository of their lore.

And then, the dark times returned, though this time the enemy came from within (pre-made drinks, chemical mixers, all the ill-gotten spawn of disco and and shag carpet). Again the potion master’s art was degraded and diminished, and the craft withered. Again, the tomes of lore were lost (i.e., they went out of print).

Still… through the drought, the people thirsted for the true potions… and a third generation of potion masters came forth (Ted Haigh, Robert Hess, Gary Regan, Dale DeGroff, et alia). Together, they began to rebuild the ancient craft.

Their work continues, but it is not done.

And that’s where you come in…

While we are certain there are great new cocktails yet to be discovered, we are equally certain there are great old cocktails that have been lost to the vagaries of time and chance. Some have been recovered by the new masters, but many have not. They are out there, in books and magazines, but they are at risk…

Accordingly, TSW is proud to announce a new monthly reader participation feature: Raiders of the Lost Cocktails.

The idea is simple: find a published cocktail that is not well known today, but should be.

The rules are pretty simple too:

• Each month, the TSW staff (i.e., the editors and regularly contributing authors) will select a cocktail ingredient, which is accessible but not currently in vogue.
• Each month, readers are invited and challenged to scour all published sources (old books, new books, red books, blue books… plus magazines, databases, matchbook covers) to find worthy cocktails that use this ingredient, and potentially merit revival and rediscovery.
• Entries must be previously published recipes, and include recipe, source, author, and when possible date of publication.
• Recipes don’t have to be unique to that publication.
• Entries will be judged on overall quality and appeal.
• Preference will be extended toward recipes which use relatively common ingredients, thus allowing this recipe to be prepared at a wider majority of bars.
• Preference will be extended toward recipes which are “simpler” in nature (i.e., fewer ingredients without a complicated or burdensome construction)

The winner will be chosen by consensus judgment of the TSW staff.

Prizes are modest. The winner will be given the opportunity to choose the next month’s spirit, and (if desired), a guest spot in an upcoming TSW article (as either author or subject).

So…

The rules and task are simple, but tough, and the prize is slim. If you’re in it for the money, you’re in the wrong place. But, if you’re in it for the craft — if you want to take up a place in cocktail lore and craft — this might be a meaningful opportunity. Consider, please, the words of Robert Hess (one of the judges): “if somebody ‘re-discovers’ a drink, it might actually start appearing in magazines and on bar menus, and imagine the ’sense of pride’ the discoverer will feel about that!”  And finally, this month’s challenge spirit:

Strega.

Your challenge: Through research, find a worthy cocktail recipe requiring Strega. Publish it here, as a comment. Winners will be determined by the TSW staff.

Entries for this month’s challenge will be accepted up to October 11, 2007.

p.s. For serious contestants without access to a research library, consider http://www.vintagebook.net/about_us_uk.htm.