The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-07-11

How the Popularity of Fancy Beverages
Comes and Goes-"Whfte Plush"
New York Herald

new i eTk nefaIus
There is just as much fashion in mixed drinks
as there is in spring bonnets In the manly ele-
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 an 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 on the Herald re-
porter's mind, the other day, when he, by some
accident, drifted into bar-room in search OF q
glass of milk.
''MilkP' said the head bartender, as with big
soggy hands he wiped up the moisture On the
bar with dirty cloth, s'Tm afraid we're all out
cir. Jimmy, is there any milk thereP to
young man with blotched face, his sleeves
rolled up and dirty whits jacket.
mot smell" replied the young man as he
bent over the faucet of beer keg.
"Very 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 sarsaparillal"
what is the reason for the big demand for
milka This place doesn't resemble dairy
'0h, everybody wants white plush lately.
It's caught on great"
And what ID white plushT
Where do you livea Jimmy with the tone of
man explaining curiosity, ahsre's man who
don't know what white plush is. Why, it's the
new drink. thought everybody knew that"
But what's 1t made Oft"
ooh, just milk and whisky. I never knew a
drink that caught on quick or got so popular
as white plush has All the swes drink it. IL
makes very good booze, too--palatable, end is
hrsS-cass all-round drink. If fellow hasn't
eaten anything 1t is very nourishing: takes the
place of food. Then, If man has been up all
night whooping things. white plush is better
braeer than cocktail. 1t slips down easy, you
know, when fellow finds it pretty hard work to
swallow anything: Then, too. it's good day
drink, for it doesn't leave breath, and man
can talk with his employer or temperance adj
voeate WITHOUT giving himself away AS an
evening drink it has its edvantages. also You
can make them either short or long and as
nobody knows how much whiskey you are drink
ing you have no need to get full unless you want
to. Its D great snap for that"
IT'S ORIGIN.
"How did white plush first get into the mar
ket?'
"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 iuleps, but every little while
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 it pleasant for him. So they
took him into q swell bar room down town and
were going to open sour wine. Same old story,
you know, get him full a balloon and then
work him for big order. 1t turned out that this
countryman was not such fiat 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 a setback for
the boys. They knew that he had lots of money
4 L.. QA1>1. o6~
Bile ducks that have got to be warmed UP before
you can do anything with them.
ooh. 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 ID was AS they did not have any kumyss
in the place they gave him some milk and selt-
ger. That's about the same thing One OF
tie boys gave the bartender wink. and he put
dask of whisky in it. The old man did not get
onto 1t at ALL He thought it was the settler
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
well set up. It's very insdous and seductive
drink Pretty soon the countryman cot funny
and tipped his glass over on the table. AS 1t
spread around he said:
Gosh, 1t looks like white plush, don't 1tr
$50 it 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 up on him. Some of the boys tried it t., see
what 1t 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 l 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
plushF
Circus soda"
The reporter dislked exceedingly to display
his ignorance, but finally mustered up courage
to ask what that was.
"Well, you are back number sure. Why
circus soda is lemon soda and whisky. 1t has al
ways been a favorite drink among circus men,
and is now"
'sAnd what is there to recommend it?'
"Some lunatic set abroad the idea that 1t tasted
like champaign. have had men come il here and
assert that if offered a circus soda in 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 of its popularity is that it don't
leave much of a 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 a baby drink, and again, it was so much
bother to make it that the bartenders didn't en-
courage it, 81
"Tnere is a great deal in that he continued.
"a bartender can make or kill drink, if he
wants to. A great many times customers come
in and don't know what they do wart Can't
think of anything that will just hit them They
ask the bartender TO suggest something Nine
times out of ten they will adopt his suggestion,
especially if it is something they never tried.
Then, if the drink suits them-and it's very apt
to, simply because 1t is novety-they will stick
to it steadily until the novelty wears off, recon-
mend it to all their friends, think well 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 il 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
caret punch made with soda. That's all. It's
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