History of Cooperstown Cocktail?

[skbohler]

Howdy,

Anyone know the history behind the Cooperstown Cocktail?

Thanks in advance,

Steve

[Chris Amirault]

What, pray, is the Cooperstown Cocktail?

[John Rosevear]

Gin, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth, and mint, says Google. I'd never heard of it either.

[Chris Amirault]

So a perfect martini with a mint garnish? I'm not sure I want to be taken out to that ballgame....

[slkinsey]

I believe it comes from The Old Waldorf=Astoria Bar Book, which says simply that the Cooperstown is a "Bronx with fresh mint."

Unfortunately, the picture is complicated by the fact that the book gives several different recipes for a Bronx Cocktail. Their "standard" Bronx formula is a 2:1:1 perfect gin Martini with an orange twist. It does not contain orange as juice found in most formulae for this drink, which formulae are given in The Old Waldorf=Astoria Bar Book variously as "original," "No. 2" and "Waldorf" variations of the Bronx.

[Splificator]

As far as I know, it made its debut in Hugo Ensslin's 1916 Recipes for Mixed Drinks (Ensslin tended bar at the Hotel Wallick, in Times Square).

Here's an article on its origin, from the Cooperstown Glimmerglass in late 1934:

The Cooperstown Cocktail Recalled

The last issue of "The Winged Foot," official organ of the New York Athletic club, contains the following article which will doubtless bring up old-time memories to some of our readers:

"Named in compliment to Craig Wadsworth and his friends, reminiscent of the best types of thorough-going American sportsmen who lived in Cooperstown, N. Y, during the turn of the century is the Cooperstown cocktail.

"This cocktail was brought to our notice one day recently, listed on an old list in the club's grill by Charles Wadsworth Hakes, scion of the old Wadsworth family and a cousin of the popular New York Senator by that name.

"Hakes says the Cooperstown Cocktail received official recognition at the old Waldorf bar which used to draw a lot of prosperous young sportsmen from that "richest and prettiest town up-state." He and his closest friend in the club, Edward A. Higgins, who also boasts of Colonial ancestry, share the belief that such old sporting tradition (in beverages) bears keeping alive.

"Hakes is from Cooperstown and Higgins hails from outside of Saratoga. Native sons of the vicinity of Cherry Valley in the club will appreciate the Cooperstown, which is similar

to the Bronx, with a sprig of mint added before being shaken."

Edited for prettiness.

Edited November 10, 2009 by Splificator (log)

[ThinkingBartender]

There is a well-known British cocktail called the "Cowboy Martini; Which was created by Dick Bradsell. This drink derives its name from Robert Vermiere's assertion that cowboys drank their martinis with mint in them.

Cowboy Martini/ Cowboy Hoof Martini.

75ml Gin

5ml sugar syrup

2 dashes of orange bitters

4-5 mint leaves

Shake hard with Ice, then fine-strain into a Cocktail glass; Garnish with an Orange Twist.

The Gaucho chain of 11 UK Argentinian Restaurants lists a Pata de Vaqueros on its cocktail lists; It is exactly the same as the Cowboy Martini.

[skbohler]

Splificator...many thanks!

Steve