For those inclined to imbibe...............

“I misremember who first was cruel enough to nurture the cocktail party into life. But perhaps it would be not too much to say, in fact it would be not enough to say, that it was not worth the trouble.” –Dorothy Parker 

As a collector of vintage mixology books...........a few suggestions:

From Constantino Ribailagua at Havana's La Florida: 

The El Presidente (yes, if you have a hangover tomorrow....blame it on Obama...**sigh** ;)

1 oz Light Rum

1 oz Dry Vermouth

1 tsp Grenadine

1 tsp Curaçao

Twist of orange peel

Maraschino cherry garnish

Fill a tall mixing glass with cracked ice, pour in Rum and Vermouth. Add Grenadine and Curaçao, stir into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist orange peel over the glass so that the oil floats on the surface of the drink. Drop orange peel in, along with maraschino cherry.

Horse's Neck (ca 1910) **(my personal favourite)** (Serve this with 1/2 Tbl. of powdered sugar, the juice of 1/2 lemon  and the cocktail becomes a "Cablegram"....another favourite from the 1930s)

1 1/2 oz Bourbon

Ginger ale

On ice in a tall glass. Make a continuous spiral-cut peel of an entire lemon, stream it from the rim of the glass to the very bottom.

The original Mai Tai **(from Victor "Trader Vic" Bergeron, ca 1944-Hinky Dink's Restaurant, Emeryville, Ca.) . Complex if made correctly..........it should NEVER taste like a sweet spiked punch. Mmmmm, Mai tai! Roa ae!! :)

1 oz Light Rum

1 oz Dark Rum

1/2 oz Curaçao

1 1/2 tsp rock-candy syrup or simple syrup

1 1/2 tsp orgeat (almond) syrup

lime peel

mint sprig

Place Rums, Curaçao, and syrups in a cocktail shaker with cracked ice. Shake, strain into a chilled old-fashioned glass, garnish with lime and mint. Serve with a straw and a stirrer.

The orginal Zombie **(created in the mid '30s, popularized at the Hurricane Bar at the New York World's Fair of 1939. This recipe credited to Don Beach, of Hollywood's "Don the Beachcomber".** Yes, and more than one of these would make you a zombie....like something out of Michael Jackson's "Thriller". :0

1 oz White Rum

1 oz Golden Rum

1 oz Dark Rum

1/2 oz apple, apricot, or cherry brandy

3/4 oz pineapple juice

3/4 oz papaya juice

juice of one lime, strained of seeds

151-proof Rum

Pineapple-slice garnish

Combine all ingredients except 151 and garnishes in a shaker with cracked ice. Shake, then strain into a Collins glass that has been filled with ice cubes or a good amount of crushed ice. Float a spoonful of 151 on top, then add garnishes, serve......step back to avoid falling bodies. :0

A few from the first edition of Old Mr. Boston, ca 1935:

Apple Pie Cocktail

1/2 Rum

1/2 Vermouth

4 dashes Apricot liqueur

2 dashes Grenadine

4 dashes lemon juice

Shake well and strain into a 3 oz cocktail glass.

Blinker

1 jigger Rye or Bourbon

1 1/2 jigger grapefruit juice

1/2 jigger Grenadine

Shake in ice and strain into an 8 oz stem glass. Serve with ice.

More to come at a later date............... :)