New-York tribune., 1900-07-01
DRINKS FOR SUMNER.
A GENERAL PREFERENCE FOR WHISKEY
IN VARIOUS COMBINATIONS-O OLD
AND NEW CONCOCTIONs.

AND NEW CONCOCTIONS.
IF these are summer drinks it must be sum
mer in the United States all the year round
said an Engishman at an uptown restaurant
when American summer drinks were the topic
of conversation. Il have been in America at all
seasons of the year. and have known my friends
To drink the same mixtures in February as in
July"
The New-Yorkers agreed that he was right
but added that the cooling drinks were more
popular in the season when they really cooled
The National drink" said the knowing man
lis whiskey We drink it in summer 10 keep
cool and in winter to create animal heat, and
the man who is in doubt as TO what to drink
at any time usually orders the most popular
drink in America the same, and that's straight
whiskey. He is safe on that because whiskey
Is usually pure article So, really, the great
all the year round drink is straight whtskey."
What about beer" asked the quiet man,
holding his empty glass toward the waiter with
q request for ''uOch ems" II was agreed that
beer was not in the question, and no matter
how popular il may be. or how many Amer
leans drink it, or how much American capital
IS invested in its manufacture, it is not
American drink. The purely American drinks
are either straight whiskey or the mixed" bev-
erage. and the season for the latter IS now al
its height.
1T was just as warm here fifty years ago as
it is now" said the patriarch Of the group, and
people wanted refreshing drinks then just as
much as they do now, but We didn't have the
new tangled drinks that one hears of to-day
People drank soda water, lemonade. root beer,
sarsapariIIa. ginger beer and lot of sweet
waters that came under the head of pop Oc
casionaIy a man would order a claret punch or
4 lemonade with a little cIaret in 1t, and the
red fast
drank sherry coJUlers through straws- Visitors
from the south introduced tha toddy and mint
i1,l-r- and one of the hotels al Saratoga where
peouIe from the south cougregated found II
worth while TO engage q barkeeper from New
Orleans. who mixed toddies and julePs and, later
on. brandy and whiskey smGshes for the South
ern guests
The imported barheeper was good invest
ment for the hotel and crowds used TO con6re-
gate in front Of the bar TO watch him Jugsle
delicate bar glasses and toss the liquids from
glass 10 glass Creole lemonade was one OF the
fancv drinks It was a good lemonade with a
little brandy and TWO OF three kinds OF fruit
a5d4d. The demand for these fancy drinks be
came great When women began to call Cor
them and drink them in public their popularity
f-rar7+ established and soda water iemona1-,
soda cocktails and the sweet. soft drinks were
crowded out 10 make room for the fancy
mixtures"
II ala not take The New-York barkeepers Ions
p. learn the art OF mixing drinks and they soon
caught M with their Southern rivals 10 such an
extent rbat. southern merchants looked forward
70 rbef- trfD to the market" with additional
.I-asure. The German continued to drink his
.a.- and wine and mineral water mixtures, AID
red wines. uaueurs and brandy continued IN
favor among other foreign residents, but the
mixed drink continued TO gain in favor
Anlons the all the year round mixed drinks
the cacl5-.fI is probably the first IN point of
r,ourIarftv. The original whiskey has been
crowded hard by the gin. Manhattan and Mar
tjni and in order 10 make the list still larger
inventive drink architects have drawn on the
French and German Iiqueurs for foundations tor
new and raIatabIe cocktails, among which are
.bs:-tha Kumrnel and Benedictine. TIE milk
-,,,.b which belongs To the old school drinks
rytrb = season Of three hundred and siXty-fiYe
4ay-s every year. is still made as it was before
the war. and those people who indulge IN the
l,,,,rv regularly usually prefer the old fashioned
Kind with two-thirds whiskey and One-third St
r,roix rum TO the modern punch, which has "A
dash" of several other Ingredients
The high bali" which is nothing more than
q drink OF whiskey made long by the addition
of carbonated water is also in season at all
times.
For several seasons the demand for brandy,
ryb;slya1y cIarat uuucheS which the