Cafe Royal Cocktail Book

Cafe Royal Cocktail Book is a historic cocktail recipe collection published in 1937 by the United Kingdom Bartenders Guild. The book was compiled by William J. Tarling during his tenure as head bartender at London's Cafe Royal. The volume contains recipes from the 1920s and 1930s, including several groundbreaking cocktails that would become classics. Only 25 copies were initially published, with proceeds benefiting the guild's sickness fund and the Cafe Royal's sports club fund. The book features the first recorded recipe of the 20th Century cocktail and early examples of drinks made with tequila and vodka. The Picador cocktail recipe notably appears as a precursor to what would later become known as the Margarita. This rare collection represents a pivotal moment in cocktail culture, documenting the transition from pre-Prohibition recipes to modern mixology. The 2008 facsimile edition by UKBG, UEWS, and Mixellany Limited has made these historic recipes accessible to a new generation of bartenders and enthusiasts.

Readers value this 1937 cocktail book for documenting drinks from London's historic Café Royal and preserving recipes that use uncommon ingredients like Advocaat and Hercules. Bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts appreciate the detailed recipes and historical context it provides about pre-WWII British drinking culture. Likes: - Clear, precise measurements and instructions - Documents many drinks not found in other cocktail books - Includes history about London bar culture - High-quality reproductions maintain original formatting Dislikes: - Some ingredients are hard to find or no longer produced - Limited availability of physical copies - High price point for reprints - No photos or illustrations Ratings: Goodreads: 4.14/5 (22 ratings) Amazon: 4.7/5 (15 ratings) "A fascinating glimpse into what people were drinking in 1930s London," notes one Goodreads reviewer. Multiple Amazon reviewers mention its value as a reference for historical cocktail research.

The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock This 1930s cocktail guide contains art deco illustrations and recipes from London's Savoy Hotel, sharing the same era and British cocktail culture as the Cafe Royal book.

The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks by David A. Embury The book presents cocktail recipes with mathematical precision and includes drinks found in the Cafe Royal collection, focusing on classic preparations from the same time period.

The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book by A.S. Crockett This collection preserves pre-prohibition era cocktail recipes from New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, representing the same documentation of historic hotel bar culture.

The Gentleman's Companion: Being an Exotic Drinking Book by Charles H. Baker Jr. The volume chronicles international cocktail recipes collected during the author's travels in the 1930s, paralleling the era and worldly influence found in Tarling's work.

The Artistry of Mixing Drinks by Frank Meier This recipe book from the Ritz Paris bar chief contains drinks and techniques from the 1930s European hotel bar scene, mirroring the professional context of the Cafe Royal.

🍸 The Café Royal was a favorite haunt of literary giants like Oscar Wilde, Virginia Woolf, and H.G. Wells, making it a cultural epicenter during the period covered in the book. 🥃 William J. Tarling was not only an author but also served as head bartender at the Café Royal and was the president of the UK Bartenders Guild in 1937. 🍹 The book contains one of the earliest known recipes using vodka in Western cocktail making, appearing decades before the spirit became popular in the UK and US. 🥂 The original 1937 edition was bound in leather with gold lettering and was so rare that complete copies have sold for thousands of pounds at auction. 🍸 Many of the recipes feature unique ingredients that were revolutionary for their time, including frozen orange juice concentrate and an early version of artificial sweetener.