Vintage Book Spotlight: The Stork Club Bar Book by Lucius Beebe 1946
This month’s vintage book was published in 1946 to celebrate one of the most prestigious clubs in the world. The Stork Club was a nightclub in Manhattan, New York City that was a symbol of high society from 1929 to 1965. The book is written by Lucius Beebe and Published by Rinehart & Company, New York.
This glitzy book contains 136 pages. The author does an incredible job at tying in the cocktail selections with their application at the Stork Club. The chapters are divided into occasions such as Morning at the Stork Club, Lunch at the Stork Club, Night at the Stork Club.
Lucius Morris Beebe (December 9, 1902 – February 4, 1966) was an American writer, gourmand, photographer, railroad historian, journalist, and syndicated columnist.
Beebe was born in Wakefield, Massachusetts. He attended both Harvard University and Yale University, where he contributed to the campus newspaper, Harvard Crimson, and the humor magazine, The Yale Record. During his tenures at boarding school and university, Beebe was known for his numerous pranks.
In addition to his work as a journalist, Beebe wrote over 35 books. These dealt primarily with railroading and café society. He was the first writer to use a painting by Howard L. Fogg, a noted railroad artist, on the cover of a book. Many of his railroad books were written by his longtime companion Charles Clegg. Beebe was inducted into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame in 1992.
The recipe I’d like to highlight from this book was a first for me the KICKING COW. The specifications of this drink were passed along to the author by Arthur Berry, a captain of waiters:
Kicking Cow
2 oz (60ml) Bourbon or Rye Whiskey
1 oz (30ml) Heavy Cream
1 oz (30ml) Maple syrup
Shake Well with crushed ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
