The ''Cafe Royal Cocktail Book'' is a collection of

cocktail A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink. Most commonly, cocktails are either a combination of spirits, or one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients such as tonic water, fruit juice, flavored syrup, or cream. Cocktails vary widely across ...

recipes compiled by William J. Tarling, published by the United Kingdom Bartenders Guild in 1937. It contains a number of pioneering recipes, including the

20th Century The 20th (twentieth) century began on January 1, 1901 ( MCMI), and ended on December 31, 2000 ( MM). The 20th century was dominated by significant events that defined the modern era: Spanish flu pandemic, World War I and World War II, nuclear ...

and what later became the Margarita.

Content

The book focuses on cocktails developed in the 1920s and 1930s as well as those already approved, developed and used by members of the Bartender's Guild. It also contains some of the earliest known recipes for a range of cocktails. Fewer than 25 copies were originally published by the guild. Tarling compiled the book to raise funds for the guild's sickness fund and the Café Royal's sports club fund whilst he was serving as head bartender at the Cafe Royal.

Notable cocktails

A number of notable cocktails are detailed in the book, including the first recorded recipe of the

, several references to

absinthe Absinthe (, ) is an anise-flavoured spirit derived from several plants, including the flowers and leaves of ''Artemisia absinthium'' ("grand wormwood"), together with green anise, sweet fennel, and other medicinal and culinary herbs. Historical ...

and some of the earliest known recipes for drinks made with tequila and vodka. An early reference to a possible precursor to the Margarita was in the book, where it was called a Picador, which did not require a salt-rimmed glass, but used almost the same 7:4:3 ratio (2:1:1 in the book) of concentrations of tequila, freshly squeezed lime juice (or lemon juice, which is not an official Margarita ingredient) and Cointreau triple sec. The book borrowed heavily from Tarling's previous composition of cocktails, the Approved Cocktails of the UKBG, which contained drinks developed by members of the guild.

Facsimile edition

There was only one printing of the original edition of the book, and copies have become difficult to find. In 2008 the UKBG,

Universal Exposition of Wines and Spirits The Exposition Universelle des Vins et Spiritueux was a museum dedicated to alcoholic beverages on the island of Bendor. The island is in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in South Western France. The museum is open in July a ...

, and Mixellany Limited reproduced a facsimile edition.

Illustrations

The original book was illustrated by Frederick Carter, an Associate of the Royal Society of Etchers, Engravers and Illustrators from

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

References

{{portalbar, Books, Drink, Liquor Cocktails British books Bartending 1937 non-fiction books History of alcoholic drinks