Book Review: The Old Fashioned

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Book Review: The Old Fashioned

Unread postby bourbonv » Tue Mar 26, 2013 4:06 pm

The Old Fashioned: An Essential Guide to the Original Whiskey Cocktail, by Albert W.A. Schmid. Lexington, Ky.: The University Press of Kentucky, 2013. Contents, Foreward, Bibliography, Index, Illustrated, 104 pp.

Albert Schmid has done an excellent job in researching the history of the Old Fashioned Cocktail. The book only has three chapters: 1) The Old fashioned Whiskey Cocktail, 2) People, Places and Things and 3) Recipes. The first chapter discusses the history of the drink and how it is made. He acknowledges that legend has it that the cocktail was invented at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, but states that there is at least one mention of the cocktail written the year before the Pendennis Club was founded. It is his belief that the cocktail as we know it today may have been born in the venerable old club, but not the original Old Fashioned cocktail. The second chapter discusses individual people and place that are often associated with the cocktail. The last and longest chapter is propably the one of most use - recipes. There have been many different variations of the cocktail and Schmid has printed many of them in the book.

The book is well designed and small enough to place in a hip pocket, It is hard cover with illustrations of a person making the cocktail. Most importantly - it is indexed for ease in finding information. It is a quick read, but an enjoyable read that mixes history with technical knowledge on making this drink. The bibliography shows that Schmid did his homework and it reflects in his writing. It is a very interesting book that can be enjoyed as much by the novice at home mixologist as the professional behind the bar. It is a good addition to any home bourbon library.
Mike Veach
"Our people live almost exclusively on whiskey" - E H Taylor, Jr. 25 April 1873
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