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jyjixed

Drinks

and

Their

Ingredients

A.

E.

UL'PPERMANN

of

J.

11

'.

l\'uppcinian

New

York

Cili/

In

considering

the

subject

of

mixed

drinks,

it

may

not

be

out

of

place

to

dwell

briefly

upon

their

history,

as

well

as

upon

the

reasons

for

their

existence

and

their

continued

popularity.

Since

time

immemorial,

men

have

sought

to

lend

an

added

relish to

food

through

seasoning,

that

is,

through

the

addition

of

flavorings

of

a

si)icy,

aromatic,

or

piquant,

nature.

It

was

natural,

therefore,

that

the

same

meth-

ods

should

have

been

applied

in

the

matter

of

beverages,

as

is

witnessed

by

the

highlx'-llavored

jninches

and

other

brews

of

our

forefathers.

A

distinction

siiould

be

drawn,

howex'er,

between

those

mixed

drinks

whicii

are

devised

purely

as

thirst

(luenciiers

and

which

should

be

classified

under

the

heading

of

beverages,

and

those

which

are

commonly

known

as

appetizers.

Among

the

former

are

included

such

drinks

as

shandy-gaff

and

the

various

toddies,

rickeys,

punches,

cobblers,

juleps,

etc.

To

some

of

these

beverages

it

has

been sought

to

communicate

a

food

value,

aside

from

that

of

the

stimulant,

as

in

the

case

of

sherry-flip,

egg-nogg,

milk-punch,

etc.,

foods

having

been

introduced

because

of

their

value

as

such,

rather

than

because

of

any

flavor

which

tiiey

might

impart.

But

there

is

another

class

of

mixed

drinks

not

less

impor-

tant

nor

less

ijojnilar

than

the

thirst-quenchers

or

beverages

just

named.

This

class

is

popularly

known

under

the

name

of

appetizers,

in

which

are

comprised

all

of

the

cocktails

and

other

mixed

drinks

that

are

designed

particularly

to

increase

the

de-

sire

for

food,

that

is,

to

promote

the

appetite

and

stimulate

the

activity

of

the

digestive

organs.

In

medicine,

the

therapeutic

value

of

simple

or

aromatic

bitters

has

long

been

recognized.

The

introduction

of

a

bitter

element,

highly

aromatic

in

its

nature,

was

due

to

this

widely

accepted

principle

among

medical

men

as

well

as

the

laity

as

to

the

value

of

aromatic

bitters

administered

in

its

most

delight-

ful

form,

viz.,

the

cocktail.

The

bitters

act

upon

the

saliva

glands

as

well

as

upon

the

secretions

of

the

stomach,

stimulating

both

to

a

greater

degree