The morning news., 1889-03-02
4 pAgRooMF FOR WOMEN.
Serving Cocktails and Liquors in Tea
cups in Back Parlor.
rom the Neto York WorIc

Vha ms
Il ,;fo are never so socially inclined as when
q ting ND the drinks for boon companions.
o. ,rban one sees beautiful girls, we'll
s 'D.-.,,,r society ladies and wives of wealthy
arotents "setting 'em up for their fair
4 .i-tors in Manhattan cocktails and brandy
ri sodas and other exhlla atlng liquids
20 numerous to mention, one IS naturally
a - ,nuch surprised. This can be seen on
q w. dov in the week in one of the most
esatbionable quarters of Broadway, in no
iaas a nIace than one of the leading hotels
- this cOuntrV-none other than the Fifth
U,,e1ue hotel. The parlor where the ladies
,l,eer in such convivial fas hion is under the
hotel and is elegantly fitted up. 1t IS not
! avactlv uuder the sanction OF the hotel pro-
erta+nrs although the various liquid re-
fPiaSbments that are ordered by the fair
customers are all supplied from the bar of
- Fifth Avenue hotel The place is known
ae Nsillard's Ladies' Lunch Parlor.
A reporter went there the other day in
/ comnanv with frlend with whom she had
! haan on al exhaustive shopping tour"
1 On coming out of one OF the leading empor-
INNS of Broadway it was suggest d that
1 +nav should 90 somewhere and have lunch
GLOW would you like to go to ladies'
i borrooro?" asked the reporters compaalol.
"a ladies' barroom! What kind Of
place is that's"
"Well. it's a ladies' barroom. You know
4 what a barroom is. don't yous The place
Il has not really got bar In IL, you know,
q hut it is run on exactly the same princl-
4 cinle as any other barroom. For instance,
4 ladv can 20 there at any time of the day
and order anv kind of drink that man
rrn-and they do it, too-and sit around
/ ard treat their friends just as the mon do.
i Oh. YOU need not look so incredulous,"
she added, for It's true as gospel. 1t is
IoSI oV1i fpPf1OnarU
under the Fifth Avenue hotel. Let me see,
II is only quarter past three. This is.
inst the time when the place Is crowded the
most We will be lucky if we succeed in
/ getting a table,"
When within few feet of the place the
/ young lady nudged the reporter excltedly,
exclairning as she did so: "Lookl there is
well-known society woman getting out of
her coupe in front of the very place l have
been telling YOU about. I'll wager q pair
of gloves that she is going in for a drink of
something stronger than soda water, for all
she's so very proper. If she goes ack into
the ladies' barroom am going to try and
get a seat where can see what she orders.
! / heard that when she was in Maillard's the
/ other day she gave the waiter an order for
brandy and soda three different times, and
] what do think the sly thing did? She had
them served to her in coffee-cups SO that
4 people would not suspect what she was
drinking"
n AS the reporter and friend entered Mail
/ lard's one of the walters came forward and
4 conducted them to a table at the rear end
of the room. The seat at this table gave
the reporter an excellent vantage ground
for observation, which she hastened to inn
4 prove by taking a careful survey of the
4 room and also of its fair occupants. The
room is an amp e-siZed one, with hand
somely frescoed ceiling, and is lined on all
a Egidp
fected rows of marble-topped tables, at
that time surrounded by groups of smiling
matrons and laughing, chatterlng misses.
/ Every table in the room was taken, and
s every one of the fair customers, with the
& exception of a party of four who were hav-
ing nice little lunch all by themselves in
one corner were drinking.
Seated at one of the tables were couple of
1 very stylishly dressed young ladies, who
were slipping a steaming beverage that
1 looked suspiciously like milk punch, and
keeping up frBgmentary conversation by
commenting on some of the latest fashions
and severly criticizing what they called
'the atrocious conduct of that horrid thi e.
/ Mrs. E" At another table, not far from the
/ writer sat tee pretty brunette daughter of
q Wall street banker. She was comparing
samples of dress goods with her companion,
Ian attractive looking young lady of the
8bonde type, and each was taking occasional
/ sbe coffee, but afterN ards discovered were
#zNanhattan cocktails. The reporter was
told that it was customary with the major
/ zity of the ladies who frequent this place to
make tour of the leading dry-goods houses
zand collect samples of dress goods, and
/ then GO to Maillards to make a selection.
The two young ladies aforementioned
! #had collected more than dozen different
samples of dress goods. These were spread
/ out on the table to be picked up one at
time by first one young lady and then the
other, and held up to the light and criti
cally examined, while they discussed its
color, texture, finish and durability. This
was done repeatedly, and meanwhile the
mnocent-looking coffee-cups were emptied
and refilled surprisingly often. One thing
that was particularly noticeable was the
obSequlousness of the various walters in
attending to the wants of the convivial
fair ones. This was not surprising when it
was learned that nearly all the ladies who
are in the habit of visiting this place make
At a rule to tip" the walters very hand
somely.
II never think of offering one of them
less than quarter myself" said the repor-
ter's companion, land know of more than
2 dozen who come here who give them as
much again as that"
As the waiter finished placing the choco-
pate and fancy cakes that had been ordered
fpon the table, the reporter said:
by the way, think that would like
something stronger TO drink than the
thocolate. Let me see," studying the wine
ilst attentively, what shall it be? l don't
Zee anything here that l care for. What is
FAe ladies' favorite drink nowp
The ladies' favorite drink now is a Man
fattan cocktail"
BUT do not see it on the list"
q, we do not keep it on the list, but most
~ the ladies who come here call for it.
g neh th-re is absinthe; great many of the
sueS call for that and for punch d'aroles..
Sut, OF course, it is all matter of taste
o"' some ladies think that there is moth
nicer than brandy and soda. But
bgInnaps you would like nice cup of coffee
sMlsn e cogt &C in itl The ladies call for
Eouee and cognac almost as often as they
r. ~ iOr Manhattan cocktails"
Dut II is trne that en- lady don't
any any her friends to know what she is drink
ls y, mat You serve the drinks to them in
On, yes we do that very often. Why,
ail the ladies' who come here have their
aia ms KS served to them in that way. Those
oy young ladies' you see just going out
e. oeen In here over an hour drinking
-uI.d sti. dUtan cocktails out in COFFEE Gu
h. ~ Is wonder that they do n1L become
S8I Gated when they drink SO much"
va, no, we would not let them become
foa9 o91icai ed" ana here the wal er shook his