Long before Guinness created United Distillers, in the 1990s, there was a company formed in the 1930s named United Distillers Limited (U.D.L.). They date to just after the repeal of Prohibition and they were originally based in Canada and the northeastern section of the United States with distilleries in Pennsylvania making rye whiskey and gin. They eventually purchased some Kentucky distilleries and made Bourbon as well as rye. In the 1930s, they printed a cocktail recipe booklet that features many recipes using rye whiskey and gin. I thought I would share some of the more interesting recipes from the 1930s here.

Mountain Cocktail

1 jigger rye whiskey, White from 1 fresh egg, ½ jigger lemon juice, ½ jigger French (dry) vermouth, ½ jigger Italian (sweet) vermouth.

Shake well with ice cubes, and strain into glass.

Honey Do Cocktail

1 jigger rye whiskey, ½ jigger grapefruit juice, ½ jigger honey.

Shake well with cracked ice, and strain into glass. Mellowish bee-cause of the honey.

New York Cocktail

1 jigger rye whiskey, ½ teaspoon sugar syrup, Juice of ½ lemon or 1 lime, 2 dashes Grenadine.

Shake well with cracked ice, strain, and serve with a twist of orange peel in the glass.

Commodore Cocktail

1 jigger of rye whiskey, 1 teaspoon sugar syrup, juice of ½ lime or ¼ lemon, 2 dashes orange bitters.

Shake with cracked ice, and strain into glass. Nautical but nice.

Next Year Cocktail

1 jigger rye whiskey, ½ jigger French (dry) vermouth, ½ jigger Italian (sweet) vermouth, 2 drops orange bitters.

Stir well with cracked ice, strain, and serve with a twist of lemon peel in the glass. And Next Year is always unpredictable. Of course.

Palmer Cocktail

1 jigger rye whiskey, 1 dash bitters, 1 dash lemon juice.

Stir with cracked ice, and strain into glass. This keeps on the tart, even though on the alkaline, side.

Blinker Cocktail

1 jigger rye whiskey, 1 ½ jigger grapefruit juice, ½ jigger Grenadine. 

Shake well with cracked ice, and strain into glass. Well named.

Crow Cocktail

1 jigger rye whiskey, ½ jigger lemon juice, 1 dash Grenadine.

Stir with cracked ice, and strain into glass. And remember, as they say, that even a Crow can’t fly on only one wing.

And now for the Gin Lovers out there.

Orange Blossom Cocktail

2/3 jigger London Dry Gin, 2/3 jigger orange juice, 2/3 jigger Italian (sweet) vermouth.

Stir with cracked ice, and strain into glass.

Clover Club Cocktail

1 jigger London Dry Gin, ½ jigger Grenadine, juice of ½ lime, half of the white from a fresh egg.

Shake thoroughly with ice cubes, and serve with a small sprig of fresh mint.

Bronx Cocktail

1 jigger London Dry Gin, ½ jigger French (dry) vermouth, ½ jigger Italian (sweet) vermouth, juice of ¼ orange.

Stir with cracked ice, and strain into glass.

Trinidad Cocktail

1 jigger London Dry Gin, 1/3 jigger lime juice, 2 dashes bitters, ½ teaspoon powdered sugar.

Shake with cracked ice and strain into glass. And watch out for tropical hurricanes.

I found these recipes interesting. The 1930s was a time when cocktails were flourishing in bars. People in the United States had been drinking liquor of dubious origin during Prohibition and used cocktails to hide the often inferior quality of the spirits. I think these recipes reflect that experience as none of them seem to be overly spirit forward. There is a lot of use of vermouth, which is of European origin and did not suffer from Prohibition and was easily obtained after Repeal. There is also the use of citrus fruits which can mask the harsh flavors of inferior spirits. 

After Repeal there were quality spirits being brought into the United States, such as rye from Canada, and gin does not have the aging period of whiskey, so it too became a quality spirit once production started in distilleries after 1934. This book reflects the taste of the people making cocktails in the post Repeal era.

Photos Courtesy of Rebecca Hammer