Age of Beauty

The groundwork for the Golden Age of Cocktails (The Roaring 20s) was actually done in the latter half of the previous century. This was the era of La Belle Epoque, the Naughty (18) Nineties, an erotic, decadent and frivolous age typified by English illustrator and author, Aubrey Beardsley, and Irish playwright and wit, Oscar Wilde. Like the later and wider expansion of the culture, this period was also rebellious, seeking to push the envelope. This was when classic cocktails such as the Old Fashioned, the Daiquiri and the Gin Rickey first appeared. It was also when classic cocktail recipe books first appeared in print – among them, Father of Mixology, Jerry Thomas’ The Bon Vivant’s Companion (1862) and Britain’s first such anthology, William Terrington’s Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks (1869). Furthermore, while bartending had become a reputable profession and mixology had become a recognised craft bordering on a science, the cocktail glass had already been adopted in the cocktail bars and lounges of stylish city hotels.