The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-10-25
IMPORTED BRITISH BARMAIDs.
Quite the Accurate Thing. We Know, but
They Can't Mix American Drinks.
New York Dial

Quite the Accurate Thing. We Know, but
They Can't Mix American Drinks.
New York Dial.
The enterprisng proprietor of liquor saloon
has at last introduced genuine English barmaids
in New York. 1t has been a long threatened in
novation The girls have been at work now for
several days, and the result is so satisfactory
that it is said that the custom will be generally
followed in the Broadway places up town. Four
regular professional English barmaids were i'm
ported for the purpose. They are all square
shouldered, erect and pleasant women, who
smile upon the customers with discrimination,
and who know nothing about American drinks.
The saloon in question received the patronage
of the audiences of several theaters, and it is
necessary for the customers to be waited on rap
idly When the first-nighters and the general
run of lOungerS drfted into the place on Monday
they were rather surprised at the four women
who stood smiiingly behind the bar. Not only
were the four barmaids on hand but one or two
of the traditional barmad worshlpers, whom
English novelsts have made familiar even to
Americans stood chatting with them. The men
in question were very English in appearance,
and they leaned over the bars and chatted with
the girls with air of subdued familiarity AT
ter girl had served her customer she usually
went back and spoke for moment with wor-
shipper. AS the crowd surged up to the bar
two men on the lower end succeeded in attract
ing the attention of perhaps the prettiest Of the
quartet She rested two dimpled and jeweled
is it, gentlemen!"
Whisky and sherry, please"
whisky and sherry, repeated the pretty bar
maid, briskly reaching under the bar hen she
added. with a still more business like air: DO
you want them together!"
Together asked the elder of the two men,
what do you meanP
II meant did you want them mixed, you
know"
''Who in the deuce ever heard of mixing
sherry and whisky OF course not. want the
sherry, and my friend the whisky"
"Ah," said the girl, showing set of white
teeth, these American drinks are so peculiar,
you know. Then she got the whisky before
the first man, and the sherry before the second,
smiled ingenuously once more, and said
Perhaps you'd like little bitters"
TITS 60" said the customer, and she set a
bottle of btters before them. They got the
drinks straight at last, and the older man was
about to pour out the sherry, when she took the
bottle away from him and said:
"One moment please. / believe this is my
duty" Then she poured it out daintily slammed
the cork in, handed each of the customers nap
kin, and they tossed off the drinks to her health
She gave them check and turned for earnest
colloquy with the next two men. thorough
American bartender would by this time have
waited upon at least ten men. The girls seemed
to enjoy the fun as much as the crowd that came
in to see them, and the opinion of d genial old
club man who was present. seemed to meet with
general acceptance by the crowd. His words
were somewhat as follows:
"a drinking place should be attractive in every
sense. That is why the extensive decorations in
the gorgeous saloons up town here get so much
patronage Now, gentlemen, can you tell me
what &C DIS more to the-hem-beauty the-er-
attractveness and SO on than the presence of the
fair sexl
He stretched out his right hand with more elo-
quence and one of the pretty girls dropped a
handkerchief into it mischievousy He turned
toward her, said: What at it already, my dear"
and began to teach her how to mix a cocktail
After the crowd had drifted away he still stood
leaning over the bar chatting with her, familiar
ly, while the traditional imported barmaid wor-
shippers stood off in a corner and regarded him
with sulien British suspicious.