While researching the popularity of Lillet in 1920s Britain, I came upon an article from The Yorkshire Evening Post, June 5, 1925, discussing the weather in Leeds, which had turned warm. Under the sub-head “The Cocktail Expert,” I found some information about the Old Etonian Cocktail. “One of the busiest men in the city was Charlie, the cocktail expert of the Queen’s Hotel, whose concoctions were all based on lemon juice and ice. One of the light sort–”the Bamboo”–is a delectable compound of dry sherry, French vermouth and a dash of orange bitters, but the pride of the lot is the Queen’s own special “Old Etonian,” which consists of a mixture of one-third gin, two-thirds Kina Lillet with a dash of orange bitters.”
While this is not identical to the recipe in the Savoy Cocktail Book, all three of these ingredients are in the Savoy version, which uses equal parts gin and Lillet and adds a dash of Cream de Noyeau. Were there other bars offering Old Etonians at the time, or is this the original?
According to other sources, a 2008 article in the WSJ mentions the Old Etonian was being served at the Garden Hotel in London circa 1925. That article is paywalled, and I’m not a subscriber. But I can’t find any mention of a hotel of that name in London in the 1920s, or any other era either. I’d be interested to know the source for that.
From “What the Fuss Was About,” Eric Felten in the WSJ, 8/21/08:
“As the [British Empire Exhibition at Wembley] was wrapping up in the fall of 1925, [head bartender at the Myrtle Bank Hotel E.C.] Pinnock was invited to mix up a batch of [Planter’s Punch] at a society party in London. A bartender from that city’s Garden Hotel was also invited, charged with making what was then London’s favorite drink, the Old Etonian – gin, Lillet blanc, orange bitters and a dash of crème de noyaux. The idea was to settle once and for all what the drink of the season would be. After the first round was served, the Garden Hotel fellow was left to cool his heels while Pinnock plowed away for hours. As he told the story later, ‘It was simply nothing but Planters Punch. Planters Punch. Planters Punch.’
The Old Etonian faded away, but the Planter’s Punch persists. Or does it?”
The “Garden Hotel” might have been something near Covent Garden. I was thinking it might have been the an earlier version of the Royal Covent Garden Hotel, but prior to 1960, the hotel was apparently called the Royal Palace Hotel.
I would like to draw your attention to the oldest recipe published in a book. It can be found in ‘Petits & grand verres’ by Nina Toye and A. H. Adair. It reads: ‘Frapper très soigneusement quatre verres de sauternes et deux verres de gin. Ajouter une cuillerée de crème de noyau et servir avec un zeste de citron.’
Why is this publication important?
The drink is missing from the first edition, published in London in 1925. This confirms that the cocktail only became known in London after the first edition was published.
The book is often underestimated. It contains the drinks that were mixed at Boulestin’s. It was the most expensive and fashionable restaurant in London. It was a meeting place for the rich and beautiful, for sure including many Old Etonians. It can therefore be assumed that the drink was mixed there in the way they knew and wanted it. I can well imagine that it originated in Eton and only later came to London, where it became successful. If we look at the ‘Oxford Night Caps’, which show us what was drunk at the colleges, we can see that these were not hard drinks, but cups, punches, etc. Following this tradition, we can safely assume that the Old Etonians also preferred their ‘own’ signature drink: lots of wine, little alcohol.
I am convinced that later publications, including the Savoy Cocktail Book, contain far too much gin!
Through his clientele, Boulestin certainly had direct contact with the Old Etonians, who told him exactly how they wanted their drink. That is why the published recipe is so valuable.
I also consider it very important that no orange bitters are used (what purpose would they serve?) and that the Creme de Noyeau is obviously floated!
As this was the most exclusive restaurant, it is understandable that they did not use ‘cheap’ Lillet, but Sauterne, which was a base wine in Lillet, but of a much higher quality, appropriate for the upper class.
I’ve never delved into the French edition of Toye and Adair. A cursory look suggests that many things were changed/adapted, and reconciling it with the English edition is going to be a bit of a nightmare.
As a side note, the 1925 edition of Nina Toye and A.H. Adair’s book is also where Craddock got his Marmelade Cocktail from (And the usual consideration for Salvatore’s Breakfast Martini…).
In general, Craddock has taken a lot of “inspiration” from that book in the Savoy Cocktail Book so it’s indirectly an important one in time.
The Petits et Grands Verres recipe is an interesting find. I’m very familiar with the original version of this book, which was published in English as Drinks Long and Short (1925). I recently researched it for an episode of the Monster in a Glass Reanimated podcast that Cameron Marceau and I recorded a couple of months ago. The original book was designed for an audience that mixed drinks for small gatherings at home, with many of the recipes specified for parties of six people. I’m seeing the original measurements in the French edition, but nothing about parties of six. Also missing from the French edition is Boulestin’s introduction, in which he admits to disapproving of cocktails, or any credit to Boulestin at all, except for including his recipe for orange or lemon essence. Boulestin and Adair were a couple, though, and he may have had some influence on the French edition, and possibly served some of these drinks at his restaurant, despite his not personally approving.
Petits et Grands Verres was published a couple of years after the first references to the Old Etonian, and the sauternes would have probably been a substitution, since the 1925 recipe calls for Lillet.
Regarding Eric Felton’s article, I have no idea where he got that anecdote from, or whether the ingredients came from his source or his knowledge of the Savoy recipe. In 1920s London, there was a Kew Gardens Hotel and a Kensington Gardens Hotel, and a few others with “Gardens” in their name, but no Garden Hotel.
So it is possible that the Creme de Noyeau came from Petit et Grands Verres and the rest of the recipe from various mixtures going around, but it is all still unclear.
The book is not only for an audience that mixed drinks at home, but also a list of the drinks that were served at Boulestins, a french Restaurant in London (that’s what the first edition says, too). This is why the drinks in it mostly are “french style”. The second edition then was updated an published in french.
To me the book is a real jewel, and I am researching the background of it (the restaurant, Boulestin, Adair etc.), and as soon as I’ve completed it, I will publish it on bar-vademecum.eu
I agree that this book is a treasure, and look forward to your article. In the original edition, I did not find a mention of Restaurant Boulestin in the book’s contents. However, I missed the fact that the flyleaf states these drinks were served there, which confirms it.
Many thanks! So there was no recipe for the Old Etonian in the original article, and the Petits et Grands Verres recipe–while lacking Lillet or orange bitters–is the earliest found so far which includes Creme de Noyeau. It also appears that the Old Etonian was popular in London by late 1925, and because of this popularity likely originated there rather than Leeds. I myself would also prefer a Planter’s Punch over the Old Etonian on most occasions.
