Our eyes always roll when friends sloppily order a vodka soda to get their night going and never consider something more intriguing. There was a time when men would spend hours pouring, mixing and tasting till the wee hours, coming up with zany names, many of which have been forgotten.
Luckily we have the elegant Lesley M. M. Blume, who has diligently researched cocktails from days gone by for her new book, Let’s Bring Back: The Cocktail Edition. We asked Ms. Blume to pick out her four favorite gentlemanly cocktails. See below and get your shaker ready to rumble.
– The Angel’s Tit – This drink simply had to be included in the book: I just thought this was hilarious. So vulgar and prim at the same time – like a Shirley Temple for the faintly perverted.
– Dandy Cocktail – Dandy culture is a big part of Let’s Bring Back, and so naturally this cocktail had to make the roster. Dandies have traditionally taken great care with their dress and appearance, and we could certainly use more of that in our uber-casual society. Plus, I love that the drink is festooned with both an orange and a lemon peel – the only way it would be an acceptable accessory to a true dandy!
– Satan’s Whiskers – I adore this cocktail, which has two variations: “straight” whiskers and “curled.” The difference: the former contains Grand Marnier, while the latter uses orange Curaçao. Just imagine how much fun it would be to order either of them at a bar: you’d lean in debonairly, and say, “Give me a Satan’s Whiskers … curled.” So much chicer and less cliched than “Give me a martini … shaken.”
Hair of the Dog – I was astonished by how acceptable morning drinking was in bygone eras. I mean, there were whole genres of morning libations — like the Flip, for example, which is sort of like an alcoholic milkshake for adults. And the London Fog cocktail, recommended by the Stork Club’s Lucius Beebe as a hangover cure, consists entirely of gin and Pernod. That’s madness, in my opinion – but then again, I am a lightweight.
