Vintage Drink Books, Guides, Brochures, Pamphlets, Etc.

Ok, I wasn't really sure where I should post these. I decided to post them in this section... here is my theory. I've taken photos of my collection of drink recipe books, guides, etc. I've taken a photo of each cover (plus of few illustrations in the ones that have them). What I'm hoping can take place, is if someone wants to know a recipe in a certain book, they can ask the owner to post it. (Kind of like scanning thru a shelf of books at a book store.) Some of these guides are little pamphlets that came with bottles, some where give-a-ways, some were newspaper ads... all kinds of stuff. I know sometimes people find a weird bottle of liquor and are curious to know what the manufacturers recipes were or maybe their parents drank some screwy brand of liquor back in the day they want to know the recipes that were written for it.

If people aren't into this and feel this should be placed in a different section, that's cool. I just feel this stuff has a useful place somewhere on this site!

Here is my collection.

Here are the rum recipes from the Drinkable Drink book.

WOW! Great stuff! What an enviable collection. Given that collection you could write your own book, "The best of the vintage cocktail recipes."

...well, such a book does exist, actually:

http://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Spirits-Forgotten-Cocktails-Alamagoozlum/dp/1592530680/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238811543&sr=1-2

But this is indeed a most impressive collection, I bet there are some FINE forgotten elixir formulas in there!

I'm just impressed with how much time was spent uploading all these images! Wonderful eye candy!

But can ANYONE tell me what the #$%! purple 151 rum and green passion fruit are?? :D

Wow...amazing collection. My collection is pale in comparison and not very vintage, but this encourages me to scour my fave shopping spots for more books. This is a great idea...THANX

Purple 151 is Ron Rico Purple Label, a 151 proof Puerto Rican rum. Back in the 70s Ron Rico had color coded brands, and Purple Label was their gold 151. I used it in my first Zombie recipe, circa 1977. Yes, I was mixing and inventing hi-test cocktails before my 21st birthday!

¡Ay, caramba! Whutta fantastic collection!!

TUVM for sharing!

Wow!! great collection. These vintage recipe books are good fun on a Friday night in the home lounge. Here is a thread with a bunch of pages from my copy of Drinks of Hawaii. Thanks again for posting your collection.
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=24640&forum=10

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2009-04-06 04:23 ]

Thanks for the complements. It's kind of crazy when I think back to how many boxfuls of this kind of stuff I use to have. Back when I sold MCM stuff and vintage barware, these types of things were easy to come by in the late 90s. I use to always stuff a few drink books into the cocktail shakers as freebies when I sold the cocktail shakers. Back in the 90s, you could pretty much guarantee that at least 50% of the estates sales you'd go to would have at least a couple of these.

Ahhh.. the good old days.

Well, here are 3 more I came across in a box of mine.

Thanks a lot! Now I gotta start another collection! Great stuff!

(1964)Spanish brochure with cocktail recipes made with Coke.
I haven´t tried any of them yet.
I know things go better with it, but...

Found a couple more.

Barcadi book.

And a drink recipe book that came with it's own background music!

I found a triof of books from 1979 today..all giveaways from Benson & Hedges 100's . There was "100 Recipes from 100 of the Greatest Restaurants" and "100 of the World's Greatet Recipes" and then this one : "Drink Recipes from 100 of the Greatest Bars" :

Which has a Trader Vic's page featuring the Scorpion and Pogo Stick:

Glad to see in 1979 TVs was considered one of the greatest bars!

Suppose this belongs to he "etc" category.
It´s an Havana Club promotional 45 with several cocktail recipes.

It has a nice label too.

[ Edited by: Mister Naufrago 2009-06-16 00:50 ]

More booklets...

Picked up some more.

Nice! I love this thread, thanks for sharing!

I just stumbled across this threat today as I don't do much tiki drinking myself..but these are GREAT images, just love it! Suck 'em up & keep on posting them!

Found more booklets...

[ Edited by: Tiki Shaker 2009-12-30 16:31 ]

got this for 50 cents at my local library......



it's the 1949 edition with literaly hundreds of drink and food instructions..

plus great illustrations.....

it also has a ton of period info on things must people don't think about now-a-days...like how to keep parties going,getting conversations started and keep them going in an interesting and civil manner....and dealing with drunk party goers,etc..great book and a real window into the time period..

Love this thread! Thanks everyone for the contributions so far.
Off to look out some British contributions for you!

Here's a booklet that came with a portable bar I purchased at The Oakland Museum of CA's White Elephant Sale:

Your Weekend Barguide

Also, I previously posted a vintage Schenley party booklet, How to Give Exotic Parties, that I had found at an estate sale in thisthread.

I have those glasses. I posted them in the Barware thread.

One of the most treasured books in my bar book collection is Ted Saucier's Bottoms Up (1951). I found it at a used book store, 20+ years ago, for $6. It has a pretty good selection of recipes, often with their origin. Each letter-of-the-alphabet chapter is introduced with a quote or bit of verse. And there are 11 pin-up style illustrations, each named for the drink on the back-side of the picture page. From 1951, it has sort of a sophisticated, urbane sybarite, proto-Playboy look to it. Looking around on the web, it's hard to find a copy for less than $100, now.

"Bottoms Up" :down:

"Elysian Nymphs" :down:

"Bachelor Girl" :down:

"Green Eyes" :down:

"Reverie" :down:

"Plum Blossom" :down:

"Redhead" :down:

"Sweetheart of Sigma Chi" :down:

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2010-03-25 10:13 ]

Awesome book Limbo. I've got to keep my eyes out for that one!

Here are most of mine.
Front of Don's planner

Back of Don's planner

Old Mr. B's guides from left to right, '65, '61, '78, '36, '41. Vic's '48 reprint.

I also have an Angostura-Wuppermann Profesional Mixing Guide from 1941.
Okole maluna,
Erik the Red