"Got Rum?" Magazine
The Rum University Library: Book Review of "Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails"
Margaret Ayala, Publisher of "Got Rum?" magazine, reviews a book called "Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails", written by Ted Haigh (aka “Dr. Cocktail”), in the February 2015 issue in the section called "The Rum University Library".
Book Review: "Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails", written by Ted Haigh (aka “Dr. Cocktail”)
-Review by Margaret Ayala
This well-written book is a picturesque composition of vintage ads, old bottles and classic recipes from a time when doing the things right was more important than doing them quickly or inexpensively.
The book lies fully flat, thanks to its spiral binding and hard cover, which makes it very convenient as a bar-top companion. I received the revised edition of the book in the mail and within minutes was already devouring its contents. The author, Ted Haigh (aka “Dr. Cocktail”) has a very engaging writing style, which makes an already fascinating subject even more irresistible.
The recipes comprise the lion’s share of the book’s 350 pages, but before getting to them, the author takes you on a historical journey of “cocktail archaeology”, describing in simple-yet-efficient ways, the tumultuous past and the obstacles our drinks have endured and overcome.
The first recipe is, by many standards, an obscure one: the Alamagoozlum Cocktail, which incidentally is made with, among many other ingredients, rum. While alphabetical taxonomy may have led to its placement, I also found it to be a good omen, a promise fulfilled, that the book was indeed devoted to vintage and forgotten cocktails. The remainder of the book did not disappoint: there was a new gem at the turn of every page, a once incarcerated muse begging to be liberated.
While many of the obscure recipes will be familiar to anyone who has read Jerry Thomas’ Bar-Tender’s Guide, seeing them surrounded by imagery from the period (advertisements, glassware, etc.) serves as a time machine, transporting the reader momentarily into the past.
The book is not very strong on rum (its “Resource Guide” at the end even mentions that Guyana is an island!), but it is not supposed to be. This book is the culmination of the relentless dedication and arduous work from the good Doctor and, for this reason, the world of mixology is indebted to him.
Margaret Ayala, Publisher
Margaret@GotRum.com