The Big Four

Of all the cocktail bars and lounges around the world, four stand out for their role in building the cocktail culture – and three of them are still thriving today. They are: San Francisco’s Occidental Hotel (no longer with us); Havana, Cuba’s El Floridita; Harry’s New York Bar in Paris. and the American Bar in London’s luxury Savoy Hotel. No.1: The Occidental, opened in 1861 and destroyed by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, was a magnet for authors and intellectuals. (US writers, Mark Twain and Ralph Waldo Emerson, were regular patrons). Its popularity revolved around charismatic head barman, the acclaimed showman and “Father of American Mixology,” Jerry Thomas who, in 1863, was commanding a higher salary than the US vice president. He claimed to have invented a version of the Martini (the Martinez) there, along with the Tom & Jerry and his signature cocktail, the Blue Blazer. No.2: El Floridita, was the favourite cocktail bar of US writer, Ernest Hemmingway. British novelist Graham Greene (Our Man in Havana) and US poet and literary critic, Ezra Pound, were also regular visitors. Opened in 1817 as The Silver Pineapple, El Floridita was later owned and run by Spanish immigrant and cocktail creator, the “Dean of Cuban Bartenders,” Constantino Ribalaigua Vert who invented a popular frozen version of the Daiquiri there in the early 1930s. No.3: Harry’s New York Bar, was originally owned and operated by another giant of bartending, Scotsman, Harry MacElhone. Formerly a bistro, the bar – starting 1911 – was created from a bankrupt Manhattan bar, the furnishings of which were shipped to Paris. Harry’s, which has remained in the MacElhone family ever since, is credited with being the birthplace of such iconic cocktails as Bloody Mary, French 75, Sidecar and Monkey Gland. No.4: The American Bar, opened in 1893 has attracted writers, actors, entertainers, politicians and royals ever since. Among its most famous bartenders was Harry Craddock (1925 -1938) who, among other cocktails, is credited with creating the White Lady and Corpse Reviver #2. Not only were Thomas, Vert, MacElhone and Craddock especially good at their craft, but each contributed to the wealth of cocktail knowledge. Thomas’ groundbreaking 1862 Bar-Tender’s Guide (or How to Mix Drinks), was the first cocktail book ever published in the US; Vert’s 1935 La Florida Cocktail Book, introduced the outside world to the cocktail exotica of the Caribbean; MacElhone’s Harry’s ABC of Mixing Cocktails, appeared in 12 editions between 1922 and 1952, and Craddock’s The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930), remains must-reading for students of bartending. Craddock also co-founded the UK Bartenders Guild (1934) – the country’s first professional support organisation for the bar trade.