A forgotten classic is a cocktail or other alcoholic mixed drink that enjoyed popularity, albeit limited, at the time of its creation or in the years following. Its fame was not necessarily international or national. Instead, it may have been regional, or even confined to a single bar. Unlike the Martini, Old-Fashioned, Negroni, Margarita, and similar well-known drinks that maintained their appeal over the years, forgotten classics fell into disuse or obscurity. Some, such as the Last Word, have been rediscovered and embraced by the international cocktail crowd. Others remain in hiding yet to be revived.
Certain recipes fell from favor due to the discontinuation of key ingredients or died with their creators, while others were consigned to obscurity without apparent reason, even though they are “still grand,” as cocktail historian Ted Haigh observes, “and full of potential.” Examples include the Corpse Reviver no. 1 (long overshadowed by the Corpse Reviver no. 2), a mixture of cognac, calvados, and sweet vermouth that appears in Harry Craddock’s 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book; Cameron’s Kick, a whisky sour built on a base of scotch and Irish whisky and sweetened with orgeat that first appeared in Harry McElhone’s 1922 ABC of Mixing Cocktails; the Saratoga Cocktail, a Jerry Thomas original; and, from the Savoy, the blend of Chartreuse, gin, apple brandy, and sweet vermouth known as Warday’s Cocktail. As discontinued ingredients are reintroduced and once-unobtainable bartender’s guides get reprinted or posted online, modern bartenders become advocates, and some of these classics are forgotten no more.
See also Corpse Reviver; Craddock, Harry Lawson; Haigh, Ted; Last Word; McElhone, Henry “Harry”; and Thomas, Jeremiah P. “Jerry.”
Caiafa, Frank. The Waldorf Astoria Bar Book. New York: Penguin, 2016.
Haigh, Ted. Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails. Gloucester, MA: Quarry, 2009.
Wondrich, David, “Six Forgotten Cocktails That Deserve to Be Revived.” Telegraph, March 13, 2015. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinkadvice/11464235/Six-forgotten-cocktails-that-deserve-to-be-revived.html (accessed January 5, 2020).
By: Chloe Frechette