You guys.
On the right, one of my new plants, as yet unnamed. (I name my plants. What?)
On the left, the greatest book ever.
It’s Esquire’s Handbook for Hosts, published in 1949.
Dan found it while cleaning his apartment. He says it belonged to his grandfather, and Dan took it a long time ago, thinking to sell it on eBay or something, but finding it again after all those I’m guessing years he realized that this book had ME written all over it.
And not counting the GLORIOUS sexism and shocking-even-for-its-time racism, it does. It really really does.
It is a classic old-school how-to book for men, with recipes for food and cocktails (so. many. cocktails), techniques and tips on etiquette, rules for card games, party quizzes, and 365 excuses for throwing a party.
Interspersed are these cartoons, many of which fall into that New Yorker-esque “why is this funny?” category, most of which have something to do with people being falling-down drunk.
(click to make big)
The cocktails section is by far the largest, including a list of pre-dinner drinks segregated by gender. (The “Something for the girls” section didn’t scan properly for some reason, but I’ll try again tomorrow.) I am intrigued by many of these whiskey-based drinks; the “Harrity” on the right hand side is something I could mix up right now, though the idea of mixing gin and whiskey in one drink doesn’t quite sit right with me (then again, the genever I brought back from Amsterdam bears a striking resemblance to whiskey, so maybe I just need the right gin). Please also note how many of these boy drinks require raspberry syrup.
There’s also this:
The Sweet Martini is for Ladies Only.
BTW, “Tom gin” is also known as “Old Tom,” a sweetened gin similar to genever, used in a number of cocktails dating back to the 19th century. You can see pictures of Old Tom bottles here. It’s starting to make a comeback, I am sure thanks to the cocktail renaissance — check out what The Liquid Muse has to say. I see a Night of the Martinez gathering in my near future.
But first, I want to spend more time with this book, and put it to practical use. For every eye roll-inducing passage on the superiority of men in the kitchen:
“A bride takes up cooking because she must, whether she’s an eat-to-live gal or just medium-bored with the whole idea. But a man takes to the stove because he is interested in cooking, therefore he has long been interested in eating and therefore he starts six lengths in front of the average female.”
There is an equally delightful recipe or rule of etiquette. Tomato canapes! Champagne punch! Olde Time hangover cures! (Esquire recommends drinking warm water instead of ice water.)
There’s more, so much more, that I will have to save for another time. For now, I’m mighty attracted to the idea of holding Esquire-themed cocktail parties, especially given the “365 Excuses for a Party” list. Today is Old Lady Day? Everybody drink! May 23 is the anniversary of the opening of the New York Public Library, which seems a perfectly valid reason to throw a party. And on September 25th, we will toast to the anniversary of the assembly of the Telephone Pioneers of America!
No related posts.