Fancy cocktails seem ubiquitous these days, with everyone trying to put their own spin–with what seems like as many ingredients as possible–into a chilled glass for a premium price. I am no stranger to the cocktail renaissance of the 21st century, having made my own riffs on triple sec, Kahlua, grenadine, and even once, tonic water. Home bars like mine are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and craft barware is a serious industry (at least as far as my social media algorithm would suggest). Much of this rise to fame and expansion of our boozy palate can be attributed to pioneering cocktail historian and enthusiast, David Wondrich. This fangirl was seriously thrilled to have Wondrich as a guest on a recent episode of Underground History to discuss his most recent publication, The Comic Book History of the Cocktail: Five Centuries of Mixing Drinks and Carrying On. Illustrated by Dean Kotz, this fun coffee table (or bar top) book highlights the colorful history of our favorite drinks, featuring recipes and how-to tutorials, and touches upon some of the darker aspects of the industry over time.
Many of the early mixologists lost to history get a chance to shine in the book, including women displaced from behind the bar once it became profitable and the Black bartenders who perfected the julep only to be relegated to servers once the drink caught on. Wondrich has spent decades researching and compiling historical biographies of these early craftsmen and women, and the illustrated format allowed Kotz to help him bring them back to life.
Early Southern Oregonians were participating in some version of early cocktail culture.
Preparing for the interview made me think of the ways in which our region can be tied to cocktail history. A project we did years ago was tied to the Hotel Central Point, which boasted a saloon and dance hall complete with a live black bear. An article published in the Democratic Times on October 16, 1891 wrote that hotelier Fred Fredenburg hired W.P. Parson, “the genial mixologist,” who provided “the best satisfaction to his drinking customers.” I don’t know what Parson’s might have been serving, but the first cocktail book was published in the 1860s, indicating that he would have had access to a wide and established repertoire to draw from, including many recipes that remain mainstays to this day. While we have never found (or recognized) the signature tools of the trade (think shakers, jiggers, or muddlers), we have found Swiss absinthe at the home of pioneer photographer Peter Britt, shot glasses and tumblers dating to Jacksonville’s mining heyday, gin and whiskey bottles galore, and we know that early Jacksonville breweress Frau Wetterer of the Eagle Brewery was manufacturing a fine apple brandy. All of which suggests early Southern Oregonians were participating in some version of early cocktail culture.
As an archaeologist interested in material culture, as well as an amateur cocktail enthusiast with limited space, I appreciated Wondrich’s insight into the glassware associated with our favorite drinks. If you are serving a drink up (no ice) you want to make sure your warm hands don’t heat up the beverage, thus stemware! Rocks glasses are made for drinks with ice and designed to slow its melt. Highball glasses are designed for fizzy beverages. In summary, while an old canning jar will do in a pinch, 500 years of crafting cocktails has led to innovations that promote the best drinking experience. I consider this the permission I needed to keep scouting vintage cocktail ware at yard sales.
Be sure to pick up your copy of The Comic Book History of the Cocktail at your favorite independent bookstore to learn more (I didn’t even have time to get into punch!), and if you want to enjoy some of the best contemporary cocktail culture our region has to offer, check out the NiteOwl Bar next time you are in Klamath Falls for creative originals and quality classics!
