The sun., 1908-04-07
GLOOM IN FIFTH AVENUE Bar
n IHE SIMON PURE FHISKEY
COCKTAIL TO GO TOOs

rol. Jim Gray. It's inventor, Years That
UonOrcd Traditions WIN he FOPgOtten
anyway, the Ftttest Has Survived,
Tor the Bar Keeps Open Untll May.
io'. Jim Gray was buying wine yesterday
IN tho fifth Avenue Hotel, but the most
utotseryant must have noticed that Col.
jim was not himself He was distrait.
not 10 say triste, regarding the walters with
A pI,liay air and arising from his table
occasiolally 10 walk up and down the dis
mantlei lobby.
certainly the aspect was cheeress enough
IRON any point Of view. Cold. matter OF
lsct announcements that the auctioneer
would he on the job this morning, accept
lngnothing but hard cash. met ones eye on
every side. Porters, who moved hstlessly
under heavy burdens. shuh1ed along tbs
Railways The fresh bellhops had departed.
4 lionel y clerk dozed behind the counter.
He'll growled Col. Jim. 'I'd like to
know what things are coming 10. Here.
Bllv' Another pint. You want wine,
don't you, Tom9 Good ,Lordl Why. there
wont he place on earth left where gentle
man can get an old fashioned whiskey cock
TAIL Think Of III Suppose my old friend
Col Henry Watterson strolled into town
and came right down here. Dye know
vhat the Colonel will do when he fnds that
the old house has gone out Of business9
He'll 60 right back to Louisville. where he
coo get gentleman's drink. And he's
night Bring another pint, Billy
There was long silence around the table.
Col jim slipped his wine. Louis Seibold,
president OF the Amen Corner, growled now
and then 10 old Tom Gay, waiter extaor-
binary. George Crouch and Walter Lauder
regarded each other unhappily, Col Mike
Paddsn and Little Tim, who dropped in at
the wake tried to cheer them up. but un-
ayaihngly
'Td like to know" Col. Jim went on,
what's to become Of the old fashioned
Whiskey cocktailp You can get dry Martins
with q dash OF absinthe-no real Christian
would drink one, | may say-at any bar In
town and you may buy Manhattans and
forty other varieties Of stomach wreckers
but where will any white man be able 10
procure a gentleman's drink after May II
That's what Id like to know
There was no answer. The subject was
too painful for free discussion.
retrospectivcly, "the first old fashioned
Whiskey cocktail made IN this house. II
vas back In 1851 ! don't say that other
people may not have put up stun they called
old fashioned cocktails, but the first simon
purr bona fide drink Of that description was
compounded by me on the date have mem
toned. Really. gentlemen, ! consider 1t
historic incident not to be compared un-
'avorably with the Battle Of Aginoourt,
The signing OF the Magma Charta or the Fall
Of 0iell Gen. Grant, TO the beat OF my
recollection, wGs the first to smack his lips
over that undhuted nectar OF Kentucky
corn. ] myself, and say II with pride
billy, bring us another pint, invented
ihe formula for the only genuine old fash
loned vhskey cocktail. This Is Il
Loaf sugar half a lump.
Ice small cube.
Nutmeg. Just a sprinkle.
Nhiskey, two fingers OF Fifth avenue special
shake we'll and for heaven 3 sake, no bitters,
But ! suppose Col. jim continued.
with some bitterness, "the fruits OF my
genius will dry up and waste utterly away.
Plain and lowbrowet barkeeps will inBist
On putting hitten in the heavenly mixture,
nov that the old home has passed away
aud there are no traditions to restrain
their baTbaric instincts. ] may add al
this point Cl,illy. for heavens sake bring
B another pintN that was the only artist
who never insisted on putting lemon peel
into a gentlemsn's highball. Well, we'll,
The old days have passed away Billy,
bring us another pint
Along about o'clock in the afternoon,
when conversation languished they got up
and went over to the bar. the only cheering
spot in the deserted and half dismantled
hotel
Billy, said Col Jim to Billy Carroll. the
head bsrkeep. BILLY. mix us an old fash
ioned vhiskey cocktail and ss you love life,
man keep your itching fingers away from
ihst bottle Of Angostura.
They drank II solemnly, celebrating last
fite over the passing hotel, holding their
glasses aloft toward a sign which furnished
temporary air Of gaiety to the dismal
place a sign which read