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the BON VIVANt's COMPANION
The Whole Containing
OVER 600 VALUABLE RECIPES.
By CHRISTIAN SCHULTZ,
Professor of Chemistry, Apothecary and Manufacturer of
Wines,Liquors, Cordials, etc., etc.,
from Berne,Switzerland.
This erudite work first appeared early in 1862, and
quickly went through half a dozen large printings. So raptur
ously was it acclaimed, and so phenomenal its success, that
scores of imitations soon appeared,and the book-stalls of the
nation groaned beneath the weight of volumes purporting to
give directions for the concocting of all sorts of delectable
beverages. But through all this excess of publishing Pro
fessor Thomas's work remained steadfastly first in the hearts
of his countrymen, and was everywhere accepted as the pro
duction of a Great Master.Even to this day the real adept at
manipulating a cocktail shaker and other such symbols of
civilization, one who approaches the act of compounding a
drink in the proper humbleness of spirit,regards it somewhat
as the Modernist regards the Scriptures; as perhaps a trifle
out-moded by later discoveries, yet still worthy of all respect
and reverence as the foundation of his creed and practice.
The last edition of the opus was published in 1887, and was
something to weep over, for Professor Thomas's bursts of
lyric writing had been subjected to the censorious scissors
and the ravening blue pencil, and the title of the work had
been changed from the roisteringly significant Bon Vivant's
Companion to the vulgar and prosaic Bartenders' Guide, or
How to Mix All Kinds of Plain and Fancy Drinks. Worse,
the elegant preface had been replaced by uninspiring Hints
to Bartenders! In this form the book lacked spirit and dis
tinction; it was little more than a dull account of instructions
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