“The Savoy Cocktail Book” is one of the most important tomes in the world of cocktail literature. Published in 1930, the book was compiled by bartender Harry Craddock, who served as the head bartender at the Savoy Hotel’s American Bar in London for over a decade. There, he created a handful of classic cocktails that are still common bar orders to this day.
When the Savoy Hotel tasked Craddock with writing the book, he managed to economically explore numerous sections about European wine regions and over 750 cocktail recipes in just 283 pages. Many of these drinks would have otherwise been lost to time had Craddock not chronicled them, even though most of the specs bear antiquated, often vague measurements. There’s no ounces or milliliters to go by here. Instead, we get ratios, “wineglasses,” and “nookers” — which are anywhere between 1 and a half and 2 and a half ounces, according to the U.S. World War One Centennial Commission.
Not all of the drinks included lived to see the 21st century, let alone the following decades. Some of them had names that simply didn’t stick, and many of the specs were just plain weird. With almost 800 recipes, there’s bound to be a few duds in the bunch.
To fulfill our morbid curiosity, we flipped through the many pages of “The Savoy Cocktail Book” and picked out 10 of the most bizarre recipes in the book. Read ‘em and weep.
Angel’s Wings Cocktail Ingredients ⅓ raspberry syrup ⅓
