As I was getting some afternoon reading in, I was struck by the Mamie Taylor cocktail that was listed by Ted Haigh's, Dr. Cocktail, in his book,Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails.
Ever since quarantine took place I have been researching drink recipes and their origins just cause there's always a fun story tied to its creation. I wanted to get lost in a book today and I'm glad I did. I have never heard of this cocktail before and I'm going to re-introduce it to you all on behalf of #worldwhiskyday.
According to Dr. Cocktail, the Mamie Taylor cocktail is a highball type of drink that is served with ice, spirit, and a sort of sparkling mixer. The recipe was first introduced to the masses because of a famous Broadway star who was well known for her operatic talents that enjoyed the recipe and then made the name, Mamie Taylor famous. A drink notably for the rich, this hi ball favorite back then was the alternative to the "G&T". Take that concept and replacing the ginger ale for ginger beer, and it's a variation of the mule.
The recipe made a debut mention in novelist Mary Roberts Rinehart's 1912 novel, Where There's a Will, "I've served all the fancy drinks you can name over the brass railing...Nowadays, when a fellow gets smart and asks for a Mamie Taylor, I charge him a Mamie Taylor price".
By the time the book was published, the recipe had already been forgotten as a pet of the thirsty affluent. It was only popular between 1899 and 1902, known as a "summertime fad". In July of 1900, The Daily News featured the cocktail's name on a headline that read "The latest bit on these hot days in a nice cool "Mamie Taylor". This then resulted in thousands consuming scotch that year as it was advertised by name in newspaper ads and written about in poems.
Soon after Prohibition took place and that was the end of its run. In the 1940s people were then introduced to vodka thanks to the post war glamour that Old Hollywood contributed to as well as the international Cannes Film Festival's early years. Vodka martinis & its popularity as the lighter spirit took over meanwhile people gravitated towards the Moscow mule. Hence, the Mamie Taylor was left behind in pre war existence.
Try this recipe with 3 simple ingredients
Mamie Taylor:
2 ounces of Monkey Shoulder (scotch whisky)
3/4 ounces of freshly squeezed lime juice
Topped with unfiltered Bruce Cost Ginger Ale
Cheers!
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