6 / 164
6
STRîíUB’S MANUAL
Blue Grass
Region, to at once begin the study
of
Rye
and
Bourbon distillation,
which,
with his
usual
analytic
thoroughness he soon mastered.
Scientiñc
distillation of liquors
as
pursued to-day by the
big
institutions is
an
art
to
be
acquired only
by
long
years
of
experimenting, endless research
in
perfect
ing
methods and processes, besides an accurate
knowledge
of maturing
and developing the product to
the
highest
degree
of purity. Mr. Straub
is firm in
these points,
having early
in
his career
adopted
a
policy of never endorsing any
product which
he
knows
from his
own analysis,
does
not
live
up
to the
most approved ideas of manufacture.
He believes
a
drink
must not
only
be a
pleasure
to
the palate
but
so
made that
its
effect
on
the stomach
will
be
health-giving and
invigorating.
When
the
Blackstone Hotel
of Chicago was
erect~
ed,
the owners had in mind
one
determined idea,
that
of making
the
wonderful structure
the
em
bodiment of the best
in
modern hotel comfort.
They
planned
to
build up an
institution that
would arouse
the
interest of
the whole
world for its luxurious
apartments,
well
appointed
dining
rooms,
grill
room,
and unexcelled
wine cellar
and store rooms.
To
get the best
of
these
things
they sought the liest
talent-men
of
known reputation
and
fame in
their
particular
lines-to
install
and take charge
of
the
departments.
Mr.
Straub, whose reputation
as man
ager
of
the
Pendennis
Club was
well known
in the
Hotel World,
was asked to establish
their wine
cel
lar
and act as wine steward.
With
his long experi
ence
in this work,
keen
understanding
ot'
the high
class
of
patronage the
Blackstone
would cater
to,
and his knowledge
of
wines and liquors,
he
soon