Lefeuvre, Émile (1847–1891), published the first French book dedicated to mixing drinks in the American style and thus stands at the head of the long and fertile tradition of French cocktail books. Born Amedée-Cyril Lefeuvre at Grivesnes, 100 km north of Paris, he left his hometown sometime after his 1872 marriage there and went to work in Paris as a limonadier, or coffeehouse keeper. By 1878, he was running a place on his own at 14 boulevard des Batignolles in the Seventeenth Arrondissement, behind Montmartre. In 1882, however, he was back working for others, at the large, two-hundred-seat Café de la Céramique, located at 20 rue du Paradis in the more centrally located Tenth Arrondissement. Lefeuvre tried again to open a new place with a partner in 1887 (at 34 boulevard de Clichy in Pigalle), but it went bankrupt the following year. In 1889, after over a decade in the business, Lefeuvre had considerable experience with an international clientele, had learned to speak English, and had mastered the suite of drinks and techniques belonging to the so-called American bar. Using these accomplishments, in April of that year he published “Méthode de composer soi-même les boissons Américaines, Anglaises, Italiennes, etc.” (roughly, “How to mix American, English, Italian and other drinks”), identifying himself on the title page as a “Chef de Bar Cosmopolite” (“cosmopolitan head bartender”). In France, a “bar cosmopolite” was one that made international drinks as well as the standard French ones. The book was timed to come out before that year’s Exposition Universelle (for which the Eiffel Tower was built), to welcome the foreigners and help his professional peers to be able to prepare and serve the most popular drinks and bar snacks from America, Denmark, England, Italy, Norway, Russia, and so forth. In addition to the 130-odd recipes for mixed drinks, including most of the American standards (but not the Manhattan or the Martini), there are serving instructions for Russian vodka, Scandinavian aquavit, and other such national drinks (including a “Vermuth di Torino au Fernet-Branca” the first known appearance of the classic Italian combination of vermouth and a bitter aperitif or digestive, which would give rise to the Americano and the Negroni). See Americano and Negroni. There are also fifteen recipes for sandwiches and such from various European countries and America and an extensive French-English vocabulary and phrasebook for bars and restaurants.
After publishing the book, Lefeuvre tried to set up an association to help employers to find staff looking for opportunities to work in Paris and make it easier for both parties. Then, at the end of 1890, he went back to his hometown, where he died on February 10 of the next year. Nonetheless, Lefeuvre was a true pioneer, particularly in the international orientation he gave his book, something not found in, for example, Leo Engel’s 1878
Annuaire-almanach du commerce, de l’industrie, de la magistrature et de l’administration. Paris: Firmin Didot et Bottin réunis, 1878–1893.
“Jugements du 6 Mars.” Le soleil (Paris), March 15, 1888, 4.
Lefeuvre, Émile. Méthode pour composer soi-même les boissons Américaines, Anglaises, Italiennes, etc. Paris: Lefeuvre, 1889.
“Vérifications et affirmations.” La loi (Paris), August 12, 1882, 4.
By: Fernando Castellon