The First American Cocktail Manual

Cocktails are not strictly American. A look at nearly any cocktail book suggests drinks that originate in any number of places. The idea of the cocktail itself evolved from previous generations of drinks celebrated and consumed around the world. (The long history of cocktails an amazing, wandering, wonderful, convoluted journey that we aren’t going to cover in one blog post, but if you’re interested, stay tuned.) However, Americans have played no small role in the development, sharing, and continued enjoyment of the cocktail.

Earlier this year, Special Collections was very pleased to acquired a first edition, third printing of the first American cocktail manual, published in 1862: How to mix drinks, or, The bon-vivant’s companion : containing clear and reliable directions for mixing all the beverages used in the United States, together with the most popular British, French, German, Italian, Russian, and Spanish recipes, embracing punches, juleps, cobblers, etc., etc., etc., in endless variety / by Jerry Thomas ; to which is appended A manual for the manufacture of cordials, liquors, fancy syrups, &c., &c. ..Illustrated with descriptive engravings, the whole containing over 600 valuable recipes. by Christian Schultz.(Technically, this book is a two-for–it contains Jerry Thomas’ book, usually known by it’s short title, How to Mix Drinks, or, The Bon-Vivant’s Companion, as well as the added manual on distilling and manufacturing cocktail ingredients, by Christian Schultz. And it’s a great two-for, at that. The two books make for a natural fit.)

Front cover. 1st edition, likely 3rd printing.

Title page

The table of contents for Thomas’ book runs six pages, and includes information on how the book is organized,…

drinks organized by classes (cups or cobblers, anyone?),…

drinks organized by ingredient,…

individual drinks,…

an extensive variety of punches,…

and more than a few interesting, alternative names (a “Yard of Flannel” is actually a slang name for an egg flip!).

The book contains only a few drawings, including a julep that looks to be sprouting a mint plant (and with very specific directions as to the conditions in which is should be consumed),…

an intricate, layered Pousse l’Amour,…

and Thomas at work, making his infamous “Blue Blazer.”

Thomas does also provide a section on “Temperance drinks,” but it contains only 15 drinks and clearly wasn’t his priority.

Title page. It’s worth noting that Schultz is here described as “Prof.” Jerry Thomas was also frequently referred to as “Professor,” though his title was used to indicate his status as a master bartender. Schultz, on the other hand, was likely an actual professor (though information about his non-existent).

Schultz includes recipes for a number of familiar (and less familiar) cordials, including brandies…

cremes,…

and ratafias. Ratafias are a type of cordial usually made with lemon peel, herbs, sugar, and other varied ingredients, though Schultz’s recipes are somewhat more sparse.

Schultz also includes recipes for fruit syrups (common in Thomas’ recipes).

And in case you want to make your own bottle wax at home, Schultz can help with that, too.

Jerry Thomas was a man with a fascinating life story, one that could easily take over this blog post. Luckily, you can read about it elsewhere, if you go looking–this post is about his book! Schultz, on the other hand, seems a bit of a mystery. However, this seems fitting, when you consider the history of the American cocktail. Some drinks and ingredients have obvious origins, some have variations of wild stories with many people laying claim, and still others are shrouded in mystery. (Good luck discovering the exact herbs that go into some of those amazing, European made cordials!)

The history and evolution of Thomas’ original bartenders manual is no secret, though. Thomas himself produced at least one expanded version before his death in 1885. After that, his recipes (original and unoriginal) were reproduced faithfully and less-than faithfully in many ways. We’ve seen his influence on the blog before, when we talked about The Savoy Cocktail Book. And Special Collections also includes a 1934 edition of The Bon Vivant’s Companion; or, How to Mix Drinks, by Professor Jerry Thomas. Edited, with an introduction by Herbert Asbury, first published in 1928. Several recent publications, too, are bring Thomas back into the spotlight. Even after 151 years, the first American manual for bartenders is influencing cocktail fans everywhere.

Reproducing Thomas’ drink at home can be a bit of a challenge for the modern cocktail enthusiast (dangers of the Blue Blazer aside–please DO NOT try that one at home), but it isn’t impossible. Homemade bitters and syrups are seeing a revival at home and in cocktail bars. The ideas of a “gill” or a “wine-glass” do have modern equivalents. So if you’re feeling brave, whip up some raspberry syrup. Even if you decide you don’t like the cocktail you tried, it might just do wonders for some ice cream…

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