The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-06-04
THE RIcKEY OUT OF FAVOR.
HighbaIIs Also Less Popular Than
They Were.
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun.
There are fashions in drinks as in every
thing else, and the spread of a new drink
is as rapid as the spread of a new style
in womens dress.
Barkeepers In the big downtown saloons
say that the day of the rickey as the
most popular drink is almost past, and
all carbonated beverages are declining in
popularity. Even the highball Is losing
some OF ITS admirers so many OF them, In
fact that there has been a notable falling
Off in the amount Of carbonated water
consumed at all the big bars.
Bartenders, that is, the good bartenders,
watch the styles of drinks as carefully
as dressmaker watches the fashions in
clothing. and they are as quick to note
any change in the public taste. Good bar
tenders are scarce The modern bartender
is apt to be q white coated automa ton,
who serves what is called for with as
little trouble TO himself as he can, and
who cares only a little about the taste
OF his customers.
These bartenders do not become great
men. The bartenders who do their best
to learn the wishes and peculiarities of
the customers own racing stables and
country homes In time and live on the
fat of the land Many men say that the
average bartender is not so good a man
now as he was fifty years ago. These
men also say that the whisky sold now
adays is not so good as that which they
drank when they were younger. Some
philosophers think the difference lies In
the livers OF the drinkers. Good bar
tenders are all philosophers.
1.-THE call for corbonated drinks OF all
kinds has fallen off," said one OF the
greatest bartenders In this town the other
day. "A year ago at this time we were
using three times as many lines as we
are now and double the quantity Of seltz-
ers and cnrbonated waters. The decline
In the popularity OF the rickey has been
steady and sure. The reason for It lie not
hard to find. The doctors we're against it
from the start.
'"rhey said that the man who put such
a large quantity of acid into his stomach
as the rickey drinker did would have
all kinds of trouble on account OF II. The
men who drank the rickeys found out
the truth of this prophecy in time and
there are a lot of men who wish that
they had never heard Of the rickey. Their
stomachs were eaten out by the lime
Juice. and they are suffering from the ef-
fects OF their drinking now.
IAN OF these men have stopped drinking
rickeys and many Of their friends have
followed their example and advice. This
accounts for part of the falling off in
the consumption of this particular drink.
aud then, of course, the hickey got to be
an old story and the men wanted some
thing new. Lots of men used to drink
the rlckey because they thought 1t was
the proper drink. They quit because some
one else did.
THE doctors were against the hlghball,
too They said that It did a man harm
L, swallow SO much gas, and that Re
would be better off IL he would taiSo
drinks that had no gas in them. Lots OF
men have told me that they found IA s.n-
selves uncomfortable after two or three
h.ghballs, and they wondered why Il was.
They had too much gas in them. 11at
was the whole trouble The father of
the highball was the English whisky and
soda, but the men in this country made
the mistake Of drinking too many OF them
and drinking them too fast.
"Thc Englishman Will spend a lot OF
time in the consumption OF one Scotch
and soda and while he is at II the Amer
lean will drink a half dozen high-balls
one on top of the other. The English
man knows how the drink should be
taken, and II does him no harm. The
American wants TO get his drink and get
II out Of the way, and so he hurrIos
tnfOlkH IL TIC ktlb hii tnt Odu eitcclb,
and none OF the finer effects, and so he
doesn't get 30 much enjoyment out OF his
liquor az the Briton.
ut Is all right to drink the cocktail
that one takes before dinner at a swal-
low, but the highball. n one is to drink
II at all. should be slipped. A man should
take at beast fifteen minutes to drink a
highbal made In one OF the ordinary bar
glasses But most men 10 not know how to
drink, anyway. A man came In here the
other day and asked for a mint julep. II
there Is anything that a man who knows
what Is particular 20 have made right, Il
n julep A good julep r. The triumph
Of bartender's career. Let him sue
coed IA the compromising Of a julep. there
Is no further victory IN store for him.
IL know men who hold that there are
only two bartenders in saloons OF hotels
IN the city OF New York who know how
20 make a julcp as II should be made.
These two are very naughty. and they
are looked up 10 by the other men In the
profession. They viii refuse 20 make
lulep for O man who they DO not think
h worthy Of a., and they will not make
one unless they feel equal 10 the task II
requires the ateadiert eye, the clearest
mind. the most delicate touch, 70 make a
julop and plenty Of time.
well, this man came ia ana asked for