Cafe Royal Cocktail Book

Book excerpt: Originally published in 1937 by the United Kingdom Bartenders Guild, Cafe Royal Cocktail Book compiled by William J Tarling offers a rare glimpse into the wide array of drinks offered in London bars between the two world wars. Tarling, head bartender at the Cafe Royal during had two goals. He wanted to extend this resource to consumers. He also wanted to raise funds for the United Kingdom Bartenders Guild Sickness Fund and the Cafe Royal Sports Club Fund. Thus, he drew from the recipes previously compiled for Approved Cocktails, and added more of his own. He also collected many more original recipes from his contemporaries. The result was an outstanding and timely book. It did more than gather recipes, it captured a boom time in the history of cocktails, glass by glass. Sadly, there was only one printing and it became an unobtainable rarity, locking away a time capsule of drinks and knowledge. Reproduced in collaboration with the UKBG, Exposition Universelle des Vins et Spiritueux, and Mixellany Limited, this facsimile edition unlocks that knowledge for a new generation of consumers and bartenders around the world. Within these pages are some of the earliest known recipes for drinks made with tequila and vodka as well as memorable concoctions made with absinthe and other recently revived ingredients-an essential addition to every cocktail book library.