Dining in Chicago

[Dark Saint Alaick]

AN OLD AMERICAN CUSTOM



Comes now an authority on cocktails who deposes and says that cocktail imbibing, that great American indoor sport, is of Mexican origin. Discarding the domestic rooster theory, Harry Craddock, of the Savoy Hotel, London (known as the King of the Cocktail Shakers), offers as proof of his contention the story of King Axolotl VIII of Mexico and the wonderful potion.
Harry says that over a hundred years ago the old king, tired of border skirmishes between his troops and the American army, wanted to make peace before he kicked the bucket. So he sent an invitation to the American general (whose name Harry apparently doesn't know) to come and talk over peace terms at the king's palace. A banquet was spread, but before the guests started eating the tortillas and hot tamales, a beautiful woman appeared bearing a gold cup which contained a special potion brewed by her own hands.

[Dark Saint Alaick]

Immediately, there was embarrassment. Who should drink first -- the king or the American guest of honor? The day and Mexican-American relations were saved, however, when the beautiful woman took the first sip herself. The American general, upon drinking, was loud in his praises of both the drink and its purveyor. Being an American, he wanted to know who the beautiful dame was.
"That," said King Axolotl (try to pronounce his name), "is my daughter, Coctel!"
"Great," said the American general. "I will see that her name is honored forevermore by the American army."
Presumably, he asked for the recipe of the potion. Coctel, of course, became "cocktail" after the drink had gone the rounds of the army.
Another noted cocktail authority and shaker, Robert, of the American Bar, Casino Municipal, Nice, offers the rooster story as being the one most generally accepted. This concerns an American innkeeper of the nineteenth century who was proud of his daughter and of his big prize-fighting rooster. One day the bird disappeared. He offered his daughter in marriage to the man who would find it. A young cavalry officer brought it back. The innkeeper was highly pleased. He brought out the materials for drinks.

[Dark Saint Alaick]

"His daughter," continues Robert, "either by accident or from excitement at the sight of her future husband, mixed whiskey, vermouth, bitters and ice together. Everybody liked this delicious concoction so much that it was christened 'cocktail* right on the spot." Robert goes on to tell how the cavalry officer told his fellow officers about it and soon the whole American army took it up.
That the cocktail was known over a century ago in the United States, and that it was used at that time as a vote getter, is shown in the following quotation which Robert takes from The Balance, an American magazine, under date of May 13, 1806: "Cocktail is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters -- it is vulgarly called bittered sling and is supposed to be an excellent electioneering potion."
The American general who promised old King Axolotl that his daughter's name would be honored henceforth by the American army, seems to have made good his promise, for the American army and the cocktail appear to have been inseparable ever since. Everyone knows that it was the officers of the A. E. F. in France who first introduced the cocktail into Parisian cafe life. The "cocktail hour" is now a feature of daily routine among the bons vivants of the French capital.

[Dark Saint Alaick]

But whatever its origin, cocktail drinking is an old American custom. It has been truly said that what wine is to a Frenchman, whiskey to an Englishman, beer to a German, the cocktail is to the American. It is always taken before dinner, and in that respect is similar to the French aperitif, or appetizer. Assuming, therefore, that you are an American and that you believe in maintaining the customs and institutions of your forefathers, we herewith submit a few cocktail recipes- -- some old, some new -- which we guarantee will put you in the proper frame of mind for an evening's dinner excursion abroad in the town.

CHICAGO COCKTAIL: Fill the mixing glass half full of broken ice, add one or two dashes of Angostura Bitters, three dashes of Curasao and one-half a gill of Brandy. Stir well, strain into cocktail glass; add an olive or cherry, squeeze a lemon peel and drop it into the glass, and pour a little Champagne on top. Before straining the mixture into the cocktail glass, moisten the outside borders of the glass with lemon juice and dip into pulverized sugar.

Robert, of the American Bar at Nice, and formerly of the Embassy Club, London, vouches for the Chicago Cocktail -- and you'll agree that his vouching is above question.

SUNSHINE COCKTAIL: To one-sixth gill of Old Tom Gin, add one-sixth gill of French Vermouth, one-sixth gill of Italian Vermouth, and two dashes of Orange Bitters. Stir well, strain into cocktail glass, and squeeze lemon peel on top. A favorite of the old Olympia Club in San Francisco -- and there's a reason.

[Dark Saint Alaick]

THE MARTINI: Into a shaker half -filled with cracked ice, pour two-thirds of a wine glass of Gordon Gin, one-half wine glass Italian Vermouth, and add a dash of Orange Bitters. Shake well, and serve with a piece of orange peel or an olive, to each glass. An old standby -- as good now as it ever was.

THE STINGER: Simple as pie. To one-half Brandy, add onehalf Creme de Menthe, shake well and strain into cocktail glass -- which is just the way they used to make them in days of old.

THE TICONDEROGA: To one jigger of Dubonnet, add a dash of Italian Vermouth, a dash of Grenadine and just a touch of lemon. Emil Rutz, manager of the extinct Vogelsang's, concocted this -- and the Loophounds liked it.

HORSE'S NECK: Into a large bar glass containing a few lumps of ice, insert the spiral of a lemon peel so that one end hangs over the rim; add one teaspoonful of powdered sugar, one pony of Gin, and fill glass with ginger ale. Uncle Charley ought to go for this old-timer in a big way.

[Dark Saint Alaick]

ARMOUR COCKTAIL: Into a mixing glass half -filled with shaved ice, pour half a jigger of Sherry, half a jigger of Italian Vermouth, three dashes of Orange Bitters; mix well, strain into cocktail glasses and add a piece of orange peel. Charlie Roe and Jim Schwenck, those two good mixers, in their home bartender's book, tell us that people "Back-o'-the-Yards" used to drink this before breakfast and then go out and beat up a policeman, but we think it's nothing more than a bracer for old ladies.

THE BRONX: To one- third Gin, add one- third French Vermouth, one-third Italian Vermouth, and the juice of a quarter of an orange. Ice, shake well, and then note the results upon imbibing.

THE MISSION: To two-thirds Gordon Gin, add one-third French Vermouth; stir well and strain into cocktail glass into which a stuffed olive has been placed. This was a great attraction to the boys at the old Mission Bar in West Madison Street before Mr. Volstead appeared.

THE GARNET: Half fill shaker with chipped ice; to one part Gin, add three parts juice of a blood orange, a dash of lemon and a dash of maple syrup; shake as usual, strain into cocktail glass... and hey! hey! The favorite concoction of the painter, Fred Biesel -- very colorful and exotic.

[Dark Saint Alaick]

CLOVER CLUB SPECIAL: Into a shaker half -filled with cracked ice, pour three parts Vicker's London Dry, one part fresh cream, one part Grenadine; shake well and serve in sauterne glasses. Bertani, former head waiter, made the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec famous with this cocktail -- which is easy to understand after tasting it.

C AND C: To one-half Brandy, add one-half Cointreau. No limes and don't shake... and you'll soon think you are aboard a Cunarder, whence it gets its name.

THE YEGG: To one-third Brandy, add two-thirds Port Wine and the yolk of an egg. Sweeten with powdered sugar or syrup. "This baby will 'hold you up' no matter where you are going," says Judge, Jr.

SIMPLE MANHATTAN; To two parts Rye Whiskey, add one part Italian Vermouth; shake well with fine ice and strain into cocktail glasses. As old as the hills and still in vogue.

THE GILBERT: To one jigger of Gordon Gin, add one-half jigger of French Vermouth and one-half jigger of Italian Vermouth, a touch of Absinthe, and strain into cocktail glass. Concocted by Paul Gilbert, of the Chicago Evening Post, and a favorite of Ring Lardner, when both rested their weary reportorial feet on the brass rail at Stillson's.

[Dark Saint Alaick]

OLD-FASHIONED COCKTAIL: To one glass of Canadian Club Whiskey, add four dashes of Angostura Bitters, one lump of ice, one tablespoonful of granulated sugar, and stir until sugar is dissolved. Serve with a strip of fresh pineapple, a slice of orange, and a Maraschino cherry.

THE PINK LADY: To one jigger of Gin, add orange syrup to color, a dash of Apollinaris, and one half a lime. Ice, stir well, and serve. Another Paul Gilbert creation, now become a standard cocktail. Said to be Walter Winchell's favorite.

SILVER FIZZ: One part Gordon Gin, the white of one egg, one-half teaspoonful of powdered sugar (or, to taste), cracked ice, and enough seltzer. Serve in a tall glass. A GOLDEN FIZZ is made the same way, substituting the yolk of an egg for the egg white. First rate for a sultry evening.

THE SIDE CAR: To two-thirds Brandy, add one-third Cointreau, and one-half Hme juice... and your dinner will be topped off nicely.

[Dark Saint Alaick]

ORANGE BRULOT: Take an orange, roll it well on all sides with considerable pressure, make two circular incisions in skin midway between stem and navel -- clear around circumference -- leaving a strip one-half inch wide in the middle. Loosen skin (all excepting middle strip) with end of a spoon. Push back skin carefully and turn inside out, so that "cups" are formed at both ends of orange. Place a cube of sugar in upright cup, pour into it two tablespoons of Brandy or Whiskey, touch a lighted match to it, and stir until sugar is melted in blue flame. Then drink hot... and offer a toast to Ferdinand Alciatore, of the famed La Louisiane restaurant in New Orleans, where this delicious after-dinner cordial originated.

WHISKEY SOUR: To one jigger of Scotch Whiskey, add the juice of half a lemon, one teaspoonful of granulated sugar and a twist of lemon peel. Something for the morning after.

THE SWISSESS: To one glass of Absinthe, add one teaspoonful of Anisette Syrup, and the white of one egg. Shake well together, strain into a small wine glass, add a dash of seltzer, and serve. Another swell morning after pickme-up.
And Finally

THE BROMO SELTZER: Into a large tumbler, put one tablespoonful of Bromo Seltzer; fill tumbler with soda, then pour into another tumbler. Repeat this twice, and rapidly, until powder is dissolved, and drink while fizzing.

[Dark Saint Alaick]

AN OLD FRENCH CUSTOM -- And Another Matter

Since we are dealing with the subject of civiHzed restaurants for civihzed individuals -- and by civilized individuals we mean those persons who are aware, cultured, cosmopolitan, and gay when gayety is in order (such as yourself, or else why would you be reading a book on dining) -- we come now to an old French custom practised generally by civilized people throughout the world in connection with the art of dining -- namely, wine drinking.
But don't get excited! We're not going to let the cat out of the bag. The restaurants included in this book have all heard of prohibition and their proprietors conduct themselves accordingly. Of course, we're not denying that wine and other alcoholic goods are to be found in Chicago. Good heavens, no! What do you suppose we've had all the shootin' fer?
With many obscure little restaurants and other similar places all over town, and some not so obscure, that have about as much respect for the Eighteenth Amendment as the eminent Mr. Capone has, it is certain that you ought to get a wee bit here and there. But we're sorry we cannot help you out on that score. All we can do is to advise you to use your own resources, ask around a bit -- and smoke a Murad if you get turned down. But try again some other place. If unsuccessful otherwise, you ought at least to find Dago Red.