The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-07-16
FASHION IN DRINKS.

/ SpTHIg UO1HEJS.
ments. connected with mixed drink, including
| alcohol and expense, fashion is prominent.
/ Where all the mixed drinks originate, and who
is the brilliant genius responsible for their being
is as much of mystery as alderman's con-
science, or the sinking OF the Oregon There is
generally change in fancy beverages twice
| year Every spring and every fall new con-
coction is popularized, summer and winter
drink.
/ This was wildly impressed or the Herald re-
| porters mind, the other day. when he, by some
accident, drifted into bar-room in search of
| glass of milk.
'Milkl' said the head bartender, as with big
soggy hands he wiped up the moisture on the
| bar with dirty cloth, I'm afraid we're all out,
! sir. Jimmy, is there any milk therel' to
young man with blotched face, his sleeves
rolled up and dirty white jacket
mot a SMELL replied the young man as he
| bent over the faucet of beer key.
Every sorry, sir. We can't get milk enough
nowadays. We had fifteen quarts this morning.
| and here it is only the middle of the afternoon
/ and not drop left Try some sarsaparillaf
"What is the reason for the big demand for
milk2 This place doesn't resemble dairy"
oh everybody wants white plush lately
| It's caught on great"
| 'And what is white plushln
What is it, Well. you ought to be labeled?
| Where do you livel Jimmy" with the tone of
| man explaining curiosity, there's a man who
| don't know what white plush is. Why, it's the
| new drink. I thought everybody knew that"
"But what's it made OFF"
"Oh, just milk and whisky I never knew o
drink that caught on so quick or got so popular
| as white plush has. All the swells drink It, It
| makes very good booze, too-palatable, and is
a frst-class all-round drink IF fellow hasn't
eaten anything it is very nourishing; takes the
place of food. Then, if a man has been up all
night whooping things. white plush is q better
bracer than cocktail. 1t slips down easy, you
know, when fellow finds it pretty hard work to
swallow anything. Then, too. it's a good day
drink, for it doesn't leave a breath, and man
can talk with his employer or a temperance ad-
vocate without giving himself away. AS an
evening drink it has its advantages also. You
can make them either short or long, and as
nobody knows how much whiskey you are drink
ing you have need to get full unless you want
to. It's great snap for that"
How did white plush first get into the mar
ketls
'.Oh, by accident. just as all the fancy mix
lures do. There are some mixed drinks that are
stand-bys and are always popular, such as cook
tails, punches and juleps. but every little while
there will be new racket sprung on the public
that will have great run for awhile and then
get knocked out by another. About month
ago white plush got its start in this way There
was country buyer down from New England
somewhere, and party of dry goods men were
trying to make 1t pleasant for him. So they
took him into swell bar-room down town and
were going to open sour wine. Same old story,
you know, get him full as a balloon and then
work him for big order. It turned out that this
countryman was not such fat as they thought
him. Though he had been swigging barrels of
hard cider and struggled Canada whisky for the
last twenty years, he pleaded the temperance
business on them; said he never drank, and he
guessed he'd just take glass Of water if they'd
git him one, as he was kinder thirsty walkin'
round SO much. Well, that was setback for
the boys. They knew that he had lots of money
to spend, and he was one of those unapproacha-
BILE ducks that have got to be warmed up before
You can do anything with them.
"'Oh, take something said they, take some
milk
"'Well / guess glass of milk would go sorter
good, said he.
'Some one suggested kumyss, and told him
what it was. As they did not have any kumyss
in the place they gave him some milk and self
zer That's about the same thing. One of
the boys gave the bartender a wink, and he put
dask Of whisky in it. The old man did not get
onto it at all. He thought it was the seltzer
that favored it. The next round the seltzer was
left out altogether, and more whisky put in.
They kept on giving it to him until he got pretty
we'll set up. Its very insidious and seductive
drink. Pretty soon the countryman got funny
and tipped his glass over on the table, AS it
spread around, he said:
:" Gosh, it looks like white plush, don't it9
" so 1t Does said the boys Give the gentle
man another yard of white plush here and the
name has stuck to it ever since
well, they got. the countryman boiling. and
got their order, too In Dragging about the
story of course they told Of the drink that they
put mp, on him. Some Of the boys tried it to see
what it was like. They found that they had
struck a jewel That's how it first became
known. The knowledge of it spread from one
bar-room to another and from the business men
down town to the swells up town, until now it is
universally popular. / suppose about next fall
something else will come in and crowd it out.
Meanwhile it is blessing TO the milkmen'
"What was the preceding fashion to white
plushp
Circus soda"
The reporter disliked exceedingly to display
his ignorance. but finally mustered up courage
to ask what that was.
well, yeu are back number, sure. Why,
circus soda is lemon soda and whisky. It has al
ways been favorite drink among circus men,
and is now"
"And what is there to recommend it?'
''Some lunatic set abroad the idea that it tasted
like champaign / have had men come in here and
assert that IL offered a circus soda in a cham
payne glass. with just the proper preparation of
whisky and soda only an expert could tell it
from the genuine article. That's all rubbish.
The real secret of its popularity is that it don't
leave much of head the next morning
Last summer the most popular new drink
was Queen Charlotte 1t was never success
for two reasons: first, because it was too much
of baby drink, and, again, it was much
bother TO make it that the bartenders didn't en-
courage it"
."rnere is q great deal in that" he continued.
| GA bartender can make or kill drink, if he
wants to- A great many times customers come
| in and don't know what they do want. Can't
| think of anything that viii just hit them. They
ask the bartender to suggest something Nine
times out of ten they will adopt his suggestion,
| especially il it is something they never tried.
| Then, if the drink suits them-and it's very apt
to- simply because it is a novelty-they will stick
to it steadily until the novelty wears off, recon-
mend it to all their friends think we'll of the
| place, and regard the bartender who intro
duced them to the boon, as perfect jewel in his
| way. The bartender knows how all this counts
and works it off for all it's worth 1t is one of
| the tricks Of his trade
Tell me how Queen Charlotte is nader
Must be you're a-goin' into the business
| young fellow, but don't mind telling you. It's
| claret punch made with soda. That's ALL It's
an Importation, French drink. that some long
| fingered nobleman set a-goin' last spring. The
1 dudes were the only people that stood by 1t at
all. 1t Just fitted them. I'm sorry sir, to a