Cocktails from Jerry Thomas' 1887 Bartenders Guide

Fans of old-fashioned mixology know the name Jerry Thomas. He was the 19th century bartender who penned the first bartending guides and left us a written history of the age when cocktails were in their first glory. David Wondrich's book Imbibe! goes into great detail about Thomas and the theory of cocktails at the time and I highly recommend it for any enthusiast who has not yet read it.

If you can find an original copy of one of Thomas' bartending guides, which include How to Mix Drinks (1862) and the 1876 and 1877 editions of Bar-Tenders Guide, you are lucky but will have to spend a few hundred dollars or more. For those who want to experience the books without the high cost there are reprints available that often have introductions by modern mixologists. This is the route I went to obtain the 1877 Bar-Tenders Guide and I've begun to pull and adapt cocktails from this fascinating bar book.

To begin with here are four cocktails that have recently been added to my cocktail database...

• Absinthe Cocktail - a double dose of anise flavor and a cocktail that is not for the weak of heart.
• Morning Glory Cocktail - a complex mix of rye, brandy, curacao and absinthe with a sparkling top.
• Saratoga Cocktail - a Manhattan-esque drink that brings brandy into the neat mix.
• Soda Cocktail - a non-alcoholic drink that is essentially a homemade soda.