“It is proper, when a person steps up to the bar, for a bartender to set before him a glass of ice-water, and then, in a courteous manner, to find out what he may desire. If mixed drinks should be called for, it is the bartender’s duty to mix and prepare them above the counter, and allow the customers to see the operation; they should be prepared in such a neat, quick, and scientific way as to draw attention. It is also the bartender’s duty to see that everything used with the drinks is perfectly clean, and the glasses are bright and polished.”
And thus does Harry Johnson begin his remarkable Bartenders’ Manual. First published in 1882, revised in 1888 and 1900, Mr. Johnson’s manual is not only a superb guide for all aspects of the bartending profession—it is also a fine manual for any bespoke, non-corporate business, in any field of endeavor whatsoever. For the business principles Mr. Johnson lays out are timeless and universal.
Here is our favorite passage of so very many:
“The first rule to be observed by any man acting as bartender is to treat all customers with the utmost respect. No one should make distinctions between patrons on account of their appearance. As long as they behave like gentlemen, they should be treated as such. Therefore, all customers, whether rich or poor, should be served alike, not only in the same respectful manner, but with the same quality of goods; not keeping a special bottle for rich people, and an inferior grade for poorer persons, unless you have one before you who prefers quantity to quality.”
Allow us to share just three of Mr. Johnson’s cocktail recipes.
Hot Locomotive
(Use a large bar glass.)
1 yolk of a raw egg;
½ tablespoonful of sugar;
1 pony glass of honey, dissolve with a spoon;
1 ½ wineglassful of Burgundy or claret;
½ pony glass of curacao;
Put all the ingredients into a dish, and place it over afire until it boils up, then pour from one mug into the other (three or four times in succession), put a slice of lemon into it, sprinkle with a little cinnamon, and serve.
Silver Fizz
(Use a large bar glass.)
½ table-spoonful of sugar;
2 or 3 dashes of lemon juice;
1 wine-glass of Old Tom gin, dissolved well, with a squirt of vichy;
1 egg (the white only);
¾ glass filled with shaved ice;
Shake up well with a shaker; strain it into a good-sizedfizz-glass; fill up the glass with syphon, vichy, or seltzers; mix well, and serve.
This drink is a delicious one, and must be drank as soon as prepared, as it loses its strength and flavor.
Horse’s Neck
(Use a large size fizz glass.)
Peel a lemon in one long string, place in glass, so that one end hangs over the head of glass;
2 or 3 dashes of bitters (Boker’s genuine only);
1 wine glass whiskey, rye Scotch, or Irish, as requested;
3 or 4 lumps of broken ice;
Fill up with siphon, vichy, or ginger ale, if required.
And a Brandy Bonus for Tom:
High Life
(Use a large bar glass.)
1 or 2 dashes of lemon juice;
2 or 3 pieces of crystal ice;
1 pony glass of brandy (Martell);
¼ spoonful of sugar, fill up glass with club soda and serve.
Here’s ol’ Harry, makin’ it look so easy!
