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Wells Cocktail

Genova, Ricordo delle Feste Centenarie di S. Giovanni Battista, Fernet-Branca. Cartolina viaggiata e compilata ai 25 di giugno del 1899.

Wells Cocktail

  • Take one-quarter of a liqueur-glass of Creme de Menthe
  • One-quarter of a liqueur-glass of Creme de Cassis
  • One-quarter of a liqueur-glass of Fernet Branca
  • Two liqueur-glasses of Cognac
  • Fill the mixing-glass with ice
  • Shake well and strain into a bar-glass
Louis’ Mixed Drinks by Louis Muckensturm, 1906

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Check out the Lost Cocktails book. Includes over 100 vintage cocktail and bitters recipes from the 1800s to early 1920s. A bonus section includes a compilation of bartending techniques and toasts from the era. Cheers!

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Hannibal Hamlin

Hannibal Hamlin, circa 1860-65. Vice President of the United States.

Hannibal Hamlin

  • A mixing-tumbler
  • The juice of half a lemon
  • The juice of half an orange
  • Fill it with cracked ice
  • 2/3 of peach brandy
  • 1/3 of old Jamaica rum
  • 2 tablespoons of honey
  • Shake to the freezing-point, and strain into a fancy glass
The Flowing Bowl by The Only William (William Schmidt), 1892
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Rosette Cocktail

Picture of roses to accompany Rosette Cocktail recipe.
“Les Roses” by Pierre-Joseph Redouté, published in Paris in 1817-24

Rosette Cocktail

  • Take two dashes orange bitters
  • One liqueur-glass of Grenadine
  • Two liqueur-glasses of dry gin

Fill the mixing-glass with ice; stir well and strain into a cocktail-glass.

NOTE: In the following receipts most of the quantities are given by glasses. The size of the glasses usually varies a trifle in each locality, but the usual amount of liquid contained in them is approximately as follows:

Lemonade-glass, twelve ounces.
High-ball glass, six ounces.
Star-glass or star champagne-glass, four and a half ounces.
Bar-glass, three ounces.
Cocktail-glass, two and one-half ounces.
Liqueur-glass, or “pony,” one ounce.

Louis’ Mixed Drinks by Louis Muckensturm, 1906

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Post Cafe

Hugo Birger: The Scandinavian Artists’ Lunch at Café Ledoyen, Paris: Varnishing Day 1886
Hugo Birger: The Scandinavian Artists’ Lunch at Café Ledoyen, Paris: Varnishing Day 1886

This combination of Latin and French words, signifying, literally, after coffee, is applied to certain combinations of cordials, liqueurs and spirits, in very small quantities, usually partaken of after dinner, and sometimes after breakfast. The recipes for these are neither many nor various. We subjoin a few below.

140

  • Fill wine glass one third part each with
  • Cognac
  • Kerschwasser
  • Curaçao
  • Use small piece of ice

141

  • Fill wine glass one third part each with
  • Cognac
  • Maraschino
  • Curaçao
  • Use small piece of ice

142

  • Fill wine glass
  • One fifth part with Maraschino
  • Two-fifths Curaçao
  • Two-fifths Kerschwasser
  • Use small piece of ice

143

  • Fill a small wine glass
  • Half with Maraschino
  • One-fourth with Chartreuse
  • One-fourth Brandy
  • Use small piece of ice
Haney’s Steward & Barkeeper’s Manual: A Complete and Practical Guide by Jesse Haney, 1869

There are many other recipes in the Lost Cocktails eBook along with vintage bartending techniques. Check out the Lost Cocktails eBook on Amazon

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Twentieth Century

Photo of the streamlined New York Central train the 20th Century Limited leaving Chicago's LaSalle Street station on a trial run June 9, 1938. The train was put into service on June 15, 1938.
Photo of the streamlined New York Central train the 20th Century Limited leaving Chicago’s LaSalle Street station on a trial run June 9, 1938. The train was put into service on June 15, 1938.
  • Have a glass thoroughly chilled and put in a little cracked ice
  • On this put one teaspoonful each of sugar syrup and orange bitters
  • Five teaspoonfuls of Old Tom gin
  • Five drops of noyau
  • Stir with a spoon
  • Lastly, squeeze in a drop of oil from the lemon peel
One Hundred & One Beverages by May E. Southworth, 1904
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Brandy Skin

Luncheon of the Boating Party, Auguste Renoir, 1881.
Luncheon of the Boating Party, Auguste Renoir, 1881.
  • Fill tumbler with chipped ice
  • Put in a teaspoonful of powdered sugar
  • Squeeze in half a lemon
  • Add a teaspoonful of strawberry syrup
  • Half a wine-glassful of brandy
  • Pare half a lemon (same as an apple)
  • Put in a wine glass
  • Shake well
  • Strain off
American and Other Iced Drinks mainly by Charlie Paul, 1902

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“Jerry Thomas’” own Decanter Bitters

Jerry Thomas, 1862

(Bottle and serve in a pony-glass.)

  • Take 1/4 pound of raisins
  • 2 ounces of cinnamon
  • 1 lemon and 1 orange cut in slices
  • 1 ounce of cloves
  • 1 ounce of allspice
  • Fill decanter with Santa Cruz rum
  • As fast as the bitters is used fill up again with rum
The Bar-Tender’s Guide by Jerry Thomas, 1887

(Note from Lost Cocktails: The recipe from Jerry Thomas calls for an ounce of snake-root. This seems to be an ingredient that has been phased out of use and has questionable safety so for the purposes of this recipe I left it out. If you want to learn more, I found information on Indian Snakeroot at WebMD.)

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The Angelus

The Evening Angel (L’Ange du soir veillant sur une ville), 1848, Alexandre Cabanel.
  • Fill a large glass two-thirds full of fine ice
  • 1 dash of gum
  • 1 dash of absinthe
  • a little vino vermouth
  • 1 pony of Old Tom gin
  • 2 dashes of orange bitters
  • 2 dashes of curaçao
  • Stir well
  • Strain into a fancy glass
The Flowing Bowl by The Only William (William Schmidt), 1892

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Rum Daisy

Mardi Gras costume design for Krewe of Proteus, New Orleans, 1887. “Daisy.”

(Use small bar glass)

  • 3 or 4 dashes of gum syrup
  • 2 or 3 dashes orange cordial
  • The juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 1 small wine glass of rum
  • Fill glass 1/2 full of shaved ice
  • Shake well
  • Strain into a glass
  • Fill up with Seltzer water from a syphon
Scientific Bar-Keeping by Joseph W. Gibson, 1884

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