Why read The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book?

Book cover of The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book

Book description

Crockett was a prominent journalist, writer and publicist. He contributed many observations on New York City nightlife during Prohibition, especially regarding the social life of the Waldorf-Astoria. This collection provides 500 cocktail recipes served at the Waldorf and is one of the first post-Prohibition books of its kind.

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Cecelia Tichi

Author

Double duty as a bar book and memoir makes Crockett’s chronicle my must for skillfully conjuring two historical moments: the Golden Age of Cocktails (a.k.a. the Gilded Age) and the dark era of Prohibition. Anxious that memories of delectable cocktails and their recipes had been buried in the crypt of Prohibition’s thirteen years (1920-1933), journalist Crockett hastened to record and revive the drinks. His history is spot-on, and his fury at the nation’s failed “Noble Experiment” of Prohibition fuels this survivor’s fine wordsmithing.

From Cecelia's list on America’s cocktail culture.