As those who listened to our first podcast of the New Year may remember, my resolution this year was to drink more. Not just in quantity mind you, but in quality. In that regard (and as Chairman of the League of Gentlemen Adventurers Historical Society), I have sought out a book written in 1939 by a man who I am convinced was a League member in his day. His name was Charles H. Baker, Jr. and he was one of the true cocktail connoisseurs. His book, Around the World with Jigger, Beaker and Flask, is the chronicle of a trip through exotic locales via cocktail recipes. Perhaps it is because it was written so soon after The Noble Experiment, but every page of this book conveys a love and appreciation for the cocktail. So it is with great pleasure that I announce that I have finally secured a copy for the LGA Curios Cabinet.
So what makes this book different from other cocktail recipe books out there? Quotes like this one from the Foreword:
“One comfortable fact gleaned from travel in far countries was that regardless of race, creed or inner metabolisms, mankind has always created varying forms of stimulant liquid – each after his own kind. Prohibitions and nations and kings depart, but origin of such pleasant fluid finds constant source.”