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OldWaldorf Bar Days
creator of a cocktail whose name, masking a variety of
curious concoctions, has been set before disgusted Amer–
icans in many parts, when they demanded
a
Bronx.
Even in the United States there are many conceptions
of a Bronx. But Johnnie's claim to parenthood, while ·
modestly put forth, is nevertheless
a
Waldorf tradi–
tion.
Unfortunately, I have found it impossible to establish
the date of its creation. Johnnie invented so many drinks
that he never put down the dates. But to the best of
his recollection it was early in the century. This is the
story as he has told it to me:
"We had a cocktail in those days called the Duplex,
which had a pretty fair demand. One day, I was making
one for a customer when in came Traverson, head waiter
of the Empire Room-the main dining room in the orig–
inal Waldorf. A Duplex was composed of equal parts of
French and Italian Vermuth, shaken up with squeezed
orange peel, or two dashes of Orange Bitters. Traverson
said, 'Why don't you get up a new cocktail? I have a
customer who says you can't do it.'
" 'Can't I?' I replied.
"Well, I finished the Duplex I was making, and a
thought came to me. I poured into a mixing glass the
equivalent of two jiggers of Gordon Gin. Then I filled
the jigger with orange juice, so that it made one-third
of orange juice and two-thirds of gin. Then into the mix–
ture I put a dash each of Italian and French Vermuth.
shaking the thing up. I .didn't taste it myself, but I
poured it in to a cocktail glass and handed it to Traver–
son and said: 'You are a pretty good judge. (He was.)
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