Monday, March 21, 2011

Gam & Flip



How rude - Willie has taken over this polar bear's igloo. I know polar bears don't live in igloos - but that's sure what it looks like - the bear looks really annoyed.

As always Willie's lingo is an education. It doesn't seem right in context but it appears that gam means "a herd or school of whales" while flip means "a class of mixed drinks." The term apparently comes from the 1887 publication How To Mix Drinks: A Bon Vivant's Companion which has been reprinted and is available on Amazon - but also available on Google Books for free.

Jerry Thomas "is considered "the father of American mixology. In addition to writing the seminal work on cocktails, his creativity and showmanship established the image of the bartender as a creative professional. As such, he was often nicknamed "Professor" Jerry Thomas."

Wikipedia has helpfully provided a list of his recipes:

* Cold Brandy Flip — brandy, water, egg, sugar, grated nutmeg
* Cold Rum Flip — substitute Jamaica rum
* Cold Gin Flip — substitute Holland gin
* Cold Whiskey Flip — substitute Bourbon or rye whiskey
* Port Wine Flip — substitute port wine
* Sherry Wine Flip — substitute sherry
* Hot Brandy Flip — brandy, sugar, egg yolk, hot water, grated nutmeg
* Hot Rum Flip — substitute Jamaica rum or
* Hot Whiskey Flip — substitute whiskey
* Hot Gin Flip — substitute Holland gin
* Hot English Rum Flip — ale, aged rum, raw eggs, sugar, grated nutmeg or ginger
* Hot English Ale Flip — same as Rum Flip, without rum and less egg white
* Sleeper — aged rum, sugar, egg, water, cloves, coriander, lemon
* Egg Flip — vanilla vodka, advocaat, cinnamon
* Peg Flip — pear vodka, advocaat, cinnamon

Advocaat is apparently "a rich and creamy liqueur made from eggs, sugar and brandy." Now you know. This will really liven up your next cocktail party.

There isn't only flip recipes, and some of the drink names are very interesting: Tears of the Widow of Malabar; Sighs of Love; Delight of the Mandarins, Elephant's Milk, Non-such Punch and Bimbo's Punch. There is also a section on how to drink Absinthe. Jerry is nothing if not thorough.

Here is the page on Non-such Punch: