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Swank Cocktail Guide

Swank Cocktail Guide: 80 Cocktails in 80 Days

We found our Swank Cocktail Guide, which looks to be from the 1950s, at a Cape Cod flea market. Eighty cocktails are displayed on the front of the gadget in alphabetical order. The red wheel is used to scroll through the paper roll to find the desired cocktail’s recipe.

We set off on a quest to sample all 80 cocktails listed, per the Swank recipes, in 80 days.


Cocktail reviews

Cocktail Reviews

We each rate the cocktail based on our personal preference from 1 to 5 🍸. Unlike most online cocktail reviews, we don’t love every cocktail. Again, it’s our preferences and yours may vary. Our scale can be interpreted as:

🍸 One sip. Ugh. Pour it out.
🍸🍸 If handed this cocktail at a party, it would casually disappear after a few sips. Check behind the plant.
🍸🍸🍸 If handed this cocktail at a party, it would be consumed, but never ordered in a bar.
🍸🍸🍸🍸 Yes, please.
🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸 Can I have another?


avorite cocktails with an average 4-5 rating.

Favorite Cocktails

Our favorite cocktails with an average 4-5 rating.


Early Cocktail Resources

Jerry Thomas' How to Mix Drinks, The Bon-vivant's Companion, 1862
Jerry Thomas’ How to Mix Drinks, The Bon-vivant’s Companion, 1862
Harry Johnson’s New and Improved Bartender’s Manual, 1882
Harry Johnson’s New and Improved Bartender’s Manual, 1882
Joseph Fleischman’s The Art of Blending and Compounding Liquors and Wines, 1885
Joseph Fleischman’s The Art of Blending and Compounding Liquors and Wines, 1885
James C. Maloney, The 20th Century Guide for Mixing Fancy Drinks, 1900
James C. Maloney, The 20th Century Guide for Mixing Fancy Drinks, 1900
Jacques Straub's Drinks, 1914
Jacques Straub’s Drinks, 1914
Harry McElhone, "Harry" of the New York Bar Paris (Late of Ciro's'), ABC of Mixing Cocktails, 1930.
Harry McElhone, “Harry” of the New York Bar Paris (Late of Ciro’s’), ABC of Mixing Cocktails, 1930.
Leo Englel's American and Other Drinks, 1878
Leo Engel’s American and Other Drinks, 1878
Albert Barnes’ The Complete Bartender, the Art of Mixing, 1884, Title page
Albert Barnes’ The Complete Bartender, the Art of Mixing, 1884
Official Hand-Book and Guide Bartenders’ Association of New York City, 1895
Official Hand-Book and Guide Bartenders’ Association of New York City, 1895
Frederick Lawrence Knowles’ The Cocktail Book, A Sideboard Manual for Gentlemen, 1902
Frederick Lawrence Knowles’ The Cocktail Book, A Sideboard Manual for Gentlemen, 1902
J. A. Grohusko, Jack's Manual, 1916.
J. A. Grohusko, Jack’s Manual, 1910.
Hon. William T. Boothby, "Cocktail Bill" Boothby's World Drinks and How to Mix Them, 1934.
Hon. William T. Boothby, “Cocktail Bill” Boothby’s World Drinks and How to Mix Them, 1934.
Ryans’s Liquor Shop, Bottoms Up, Ryan's Guide to Pleasant Drinking, 1900
Ryan’s Liquor Shop, Bottoms Up, Ryan’s Guide to Pleasant Drinking, 1950
Yeatman and Company, Drinks and How to Make Them, 1879
Yeatman and Company, Drinks and How to Make Them, 1879
George Winter's How to Mix Drinks, Bar Keepers' Handbook, 1884
George Winter’s How to Mix Drinks, Bar Keepers’ Handbook, 1884
Frederick Davies’ Drinks of All Kinds for All Season, 1896
Frederick Davies’ Drinks of All Kinds for All Season, 1896
Straub’s Manual of Mixed Drinks, 1913
Straub’s Manual of Mixed Drinks, 1913
J. A. Grohusko, Jack's Manual, 1916.
J. A. Grohusko, Jack’s Manual, 1916.
Albert Stevens Crockett, The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book, 1935.
Albert Stevens Crockett, The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book, 1935.

Many more cocktail books… EUVS Vintage Cocktail Books