[mnehring]

Bump for reference. I’ve been wanting to check out old recipes. They were heavy on bitters, ginger, and herbs that is often missing today.

[thecodont]

The Joy of Mixlology: A Consummate Guide to the Bartender's Craft, by Gary Regan, touches on the historical background of some of classic cocktail recipes and makes an attempt to group them into "drink families" (sours, French-Italian cocktails, etc.).

http://www.amazon.com/Joy-Mixology-Consummate-Guide-Bartenders/dp/0609608843/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327276703&sr=8-1

[thecodont]

The Joy of Mixology: A Consummate Guide to the Bartender's Craft, by Gary Regan, touches on the historical background of some of classic cocktail recipes and makes an attempt to group them into "drink families" (sours, French-Italian cocktails, etc.).

http://www.amazon.com/Joy-Mixology-Consummate-Guide-Bartenders/dp/0609608843/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327276703&sr=8-1

[RitchieAprile]

some of these were purportedly medicinal such as the
Becher liqeur from Karlovy Vary. other might have been flavoring to cover up taste of nasty homemade corn squeezings.

[CrazyIvan]

“Bump for reference. I’ve been wanting to check out old recipes. They were heavy on bitters, ginger, and herbs that is often missing today.”

Used to be an old gent that only worked a few nights a week
at a local bar. He made a lot of stuff that fits that
description. I hate sweet, sugary drinks. He made something
with bitters that I loved. Wish I knew what it was.