The Gentleman's Companion: Being an Exotic Drinking Book

Charles H. Baker Jr.'s The Gentleman's Companion: Being an Exotic Drinking Book chronicles the author's worldwide travels and cocktail discoveries during the 1920s and 1930s. The book combines drink recipes with stories of their origins and the circumstances of Baker's first encounters with them. The volume contains detailed instructions for mixing hundreds of cocktails from locations including South America, Asia, Europe, and the Caribbean. Baker provides historical context and practical guidance on ingredients, preparation methods, and proper serving techniques. The narrative sections recount Baker's experiences aboard cruise ships, in foreign ports, and at notable bars and clubs of the era. His tales feature interactions with diplomats, artists, writers and bon vivants who shared his appreciation for fine drinks. The work stands as both a practical cocktail manual and a document of international drinking culture between the World Wars. Through its combination of recipes and travelogue, it captures a particular moment in cocktail history when increased global travel was expanding the horizons of American drinking habits.

Readers appreciate this 1939 cocktail book for its storytelling and travel narratives more than its drink recipes. Many reviews note the flowery, dated writing style adds character rather than detracts. One reader called it "more an adventure novel that happens to contain cocktail recipes." Readers liked: - Detailed historical context behind each drink - First-hand accounts of drinking culture worldwide - Practical tips on entertaining and hosting - Original illustrations and design Readers disliked: - Recipe measurements can be imprecise - Some ingredients are now impossible to find - Writing style can be verbose and difficult to follow - Organization makes recipes hard to locate quickly Ratings: Goodreads: 4.3/5 (89 ratings) Amazon: 4.6/5 (31 ratings) Most common complaint is the book works better as entertaining reading material than a practical bar guide. Multiple reviewers noted it pairs well with modern cocktail books that provide more precise recipes.

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🍸 Charles H. Baker Jr. traveled around the world for decades, collecting drink recipes and stories from 1920s-1940s, visiting 7 continents and nearly 40 countries during his research. 🌏 The book was first published in 1939 as a two-volume set, with the second volume focused on exotic food recipes and titled "Being an Exotic Cookery Book." 🗺️ Each drink recipe in the book includes the location and circumstance where Baker first encountered it, creating a travelogue of his adventures from Shanghai to Havana. ⚓ Baker worked as a cruise ship employee to fund his world travels, and many of his drink discoveries were made in ports and harbor-side bars across the globe. 🎭 Ernest Hemingway was among Baker's drinking companions, and several recipes in the book come from their shared experiences in places like Harry's Bar in Venice and Sloppy Joe's in Havana.