Exclusive Cocktails : from the recipes of Usher’s Hotel. Sydney, 1933.

Many readers and writers love collecting books, both old and new. It’s something I enjoy doing in my spare time. I search the Internet, and browse in bookshops. More often than not I stumble across something interesting. Ephemeral items from the past can have some delightfully surprising content. Even when they look quite bland on the outside some unusual treat may be found between the covers. As well as the absorbing content, they can be a window to a bygone era. We often learn something about our own cities or towns that we hadn’t known before.

Recently when fossicking in one of the second-hand stores, a small booklet caught my eye. The cover had a caricature of a waiter holding a drinks tray. On closer inspection I found that this little gem had been published in 1933 by Usher’s Hotel in Sydney to promote its famous cocktails. The recipes were accompanied by colorful illustrations by celebrated Australian cartoonist, Jimmy Bancks, the creator of the Ginger Meggs comics. (See below for ‘Koala’ recipe)

Not only did I acquire a wonderful new item for my collection, I also gleaned some knowledge of where Sydneysiders went to enjoy some truly ‘exclusive’ cocktails. It reminds me that landscape which is featured in today’s fiction may one day give readers a picture of our own time and place. It has the power to bring out subtleties that movies and television programs are usually unable to do. Some of the titles listed in the DLSIJ Press catalog are great examples of how landscape can be weaved so successfully into a story.

Recipe: To one-sixth of a measure of brandy, add two-sixths of a measure of apricot brandy, two-sixths of a measure of orange juice, and one-sixth of a measure of French vermouth. Ice and shake well. Serve a small slice of orange on the edge of the glass.

Posted on April 5th, 2008 by Pat Turner
Filed under: General