The former bartender at the Ritz Paris's legendary Bar Hemingway reveals the intoxicating secrets for concocting the world's greatest cocktails--with more than fifty drink recipes and full-color illustrations throughout. Evoking the delirious, richly communal spirit of A Moveable Feast, Colin Peter Field's The Cocktails of the Ritz Paris transports readers back to the heady days when Ernest Hemingway and his fellow Lost Generation expatriates frequented the Ritz Paris, site of perhaps the most well-known bar in the world. The Bar Hemingway began as the Petit Bar in 1921 and was frequented by the likes of Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt, and Noel Coward. With the same richness of the Ritz's cosmopolitan tradition, Field reveals the true histories behind such classics as the Sidecar, the Dry Martini, the Bloody Mary, the Dirty Earl Grey Martini, and the Corpse Reviver No. 2--and he provides step-by-step recipes for more than fifty drinks, from renowned innovations like the Ritzini and the Clockwork Orange to timeless favorites like the Gin Fizz, the Pina Colada, and the Tom Collins. Accompanying each recipe are fascinating comments and asides on the who, when, where, and why of the cocktail's genesis and evolution. Much more than a mere recipe reference, The Cocktails of the Ritz Paris leads discriminating tipplers and Francophiles alike on an eye-opening historical walk through the world and culture of the cocktail set. Exploring everything from proper garniture and the intricate psychology of drink-mixing to the all-important task of glass selection and which cocktails are particularly suitable for cigar accompaniment, Field's book is a delicious mix of sophistication and charm.
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Chapter 1
The psychology of mixing drinks
Before you set out to make a cocktail, you should ask yourself several questions:
1. Who is the person that I am making this cocktail for?
It's just like the recipe for success in any business: you have to know your customer. You have to take into account what gender they are, and what age. Young people have less drinking experience than, let's say, the over-30s. (The over-30s, with their reasonable amount of drinking experience, seem to have been on a constant quest for the drier, more simple cocktail: the ultimate is perhaps the Platinum Bullet. That's just pure gin or vodka served in a Dry Martini glass refrigerated at -18.4°C, with one olive and a thought for Louis Pratt. This cocktail was invented in the Bar Hemingway in 1996, but of course was inspired by the Silver Bullet.) But back to the youngsters; they go for exotic cocktails that are sweet, with lots of juices, the kind of thing you would drink by the swimming pool in Bora Bora.
Girls drink lighter than boys do. They want to drink alcohol without the taste of it and, in general, without too much of the effect. Of course, there are girls and there are girls, but one thing's for sure: saving ladies from total inebriation is an honourable endeavour.
Young men can sometimes want something powerful. Because they are young they want to feel the kick, and they would not be seen dead (in front of their pals) drinking something light. But then again, exactly which young men are we talking about? Rugby footballers at 9 o'clock in the evening or Pimm's cricketers at 5 o'clock in the afternoon? Or are they highly-stressed stock-exchange types, or the superfit local swimming team?
2. What are they celebrating?
It's very important to know what is being celebrated: the cocktail must reflect the event. As the Rank Xerox team once asked me: if the latest copier was a cocktail, what would it look like and how would it taste? How's that for a challenge? If the event is a (post-) sporting one, one has to be light and low in alcohol. If it's St. Patrick's Day, you had better use an Irish whiskey base.
Business cocktails are often vodka based (vodka based equals no bad breath, which is why Ernest Hemingway had the Bloody Mary invented for him, or so his favourite bartender said...). For business functions, the colour or the name or the ingredients of the cocktail should be relevant to the origins of the company or its president. Of course the name must have an irresistible charm about it, too.
3. What's their objective in having this cocktail?
Do they just want to have a light thirst-quenching drink, or do they want to forget a bad week? Models often like the former, although catwalk cocktails have to be short, dry and effective, to produce an instant calming effect. In this case the Kamikaze seems to rule with its reassuring mix of vodka, lemon juice and Cointreau. Needless to say, I don't know who invented it. Sometimes, of course, people just want to get drunk! (Oh, that's a horrible word! What's it doing in a book about cocktails?)
Whatever the customers' objective, you must counterbalance their prescription with what you think would be right. Two heads are better than one, especially in such a serious business as drinking.
4. What's my objective as the creator of this cocktail?
If your customer seems flagging in energy you really ought to make a cocktail with lots of fresh juice in it. You should include sugar, a drop of alcohol and something fizzy to pep the person up, probably champagne or ginger ale. In this case, why not try the French 75, a cocktail invented in Paris (though not in the Ritz Paris) during the First World War. Incidentally, this became a very popular cocktail in the United States upon the conclusion of hostilities. We call our version a Ritz 75 as our preparation seems to be very popular and I don't want to get other bartenders in trouble.
Another cocktail, this time invented by Pauola from Argentina (a student of the Ritz Escoffier Bar classes), is perfect for a lady that would like a long drink that is refreshing but at the same time extremely light in alcohol. (This cocktail was the result of a written exercise to develop a cocktail on a hot day for a certain Elisabeth, who was also a student of the Ritz Escoffier School.)
Copyright © 2003 by Editions du Chêne
Introduction
The Bar Hemingway is probably one of the most important bars in the world today. Forbes Digital Tool Internet magazine cited it as 'The World's Greatest Bar, 1998' and its Head Bartender as 'The World's Greatest Bartender'. The author was to be cited in 2001 again by Forbes as the Greatest Bartender in the World. In 1983 I had obtained the title of No.2 in the world (Martini Grand Prix World Cocktail Competition) for my knowledge in cocktails and alcohols, and had coveted the premier position ever since. Le Figaro newspaper cited the Head Bartender as one of the 20 most creative people in France, comparing him with architects, dancers, chefs and writers. The Times called the Bar Hemingway the best kept secret in Paris, and compliments for our service have been bestowed upon us from all over the world. In 2001 Le Figaro stated that the Hemingway produced the best Dry Martini there is.
The story of the Bar Hemingway begins in 1921, when it was decided to create a room for alcoholic refreshment in the Cambon Wing. Le Café Parisien was designed in the art deco style of the period by Picot. The Head Bartender was to be Frank Meier, and he would receive the world's elite: Sir Winston Churchill, President Theodore Roosevelt, Noël Coward, Scott Fitzgerald and Cole Porter, to name but a few. It was at this time, incidentally, that Frank Meier invented the Royal Highball (a marvellously refreshing drink made with cognac, strawberries and champagne) for the King of Spain.
Just opposite the bar was a very small 'salon de correspondance' with lovely wooden walls. This became the ladies' waiting room, where ladies waiting for their husbands would while away the 'minutes'. (Ladies, at this time, were not allowed in the bars.) In 1936 the principal bar was transformed to receive both sexes, and at the same time a second bar was created. This was 'Le Petit Bar', over which Bernard 'Bertin' Azimont was to preside until his retirement in 1975. The little bar was to become Ernest Hemingway's favourite haunt. He had discovered the Ritz Paris in 1925 after meeting Scott Fitzgerald in the 'Dixies Bar', a drinking hole for ex-patriot American artists and writers. The Dixies no longer exists, but Le Petit Bar, now known as the Bar Hemingway, continues to thrive. Hemingway adopted the bar as his Head Quarters and spent many hours there planning his strategies for the horse races at Auteuil. He would even, according to A.E. Hotchner's book Papa Hemingway, pick up the bets of Frank, George, Bertin and the other bartenders for the day's races. This was done under the profound inspiration of Bertin's Bloody Marys.
Ernest Hemingway, with his friend Colonel David Bruce (later to become the ambassador of the United States), were the first Americans to be served in the bar after the war. After hailing Sylvia Beach at Shakespeare and Co., the writer made a B-line for the cellars of the Ritz Paris. He was greeted and brought into the room now known as the Bar Hemingway (named after a suggestion from the bartender, Claude Decobert, who had served Hemingway on several occasions), where he downed 51 Dry Martinis. Incidentally, I often served Mr. Curley, in the line of American Ambassadors to have known Hemingway, at the Restaurant Au Petit Riche in 1989, but was never able to win him over to the benefits of cocktail drinking. Perhaps he too had the haunting memory of all those Martinis with Hemingway!
In 1962, Charles Ritz decided to create a third bar on the Vendôme side of the Hotel. Named The Lounge Bar, this serves an enormous daytime clientele and excels in afternoon tea and scones.
pardThe focus on the Vendôme Bar and the absence of Bertin in the late 1970s led the Petit Bar to meander like the rivers that Ernest Hemingway had once fished upon. Its activity eventually came to a halt in the middle of the 1980s and it was used for special parties only.
With the support of Jack Hemingway, who was very favorable to its project, the Ritz Paris pushed very hard for its re-opening, and in 1...
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Robert Hess
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have had the enjoyable opportunity to share many cocktails with Colin, and am extremely thrilled that he has published a book of some of the great cocktails that he serves to his guests at the Ritz in Paris.
While this book does have a "small" collection of recipes for standard cocktials (Mojito, Whiskey Sour, Pina Colada, Daiquiri...), it is a very small list, and simply represents some of the standard cocktails the way that Colin makes them in his bar. This book instead shines in the collection of cocktails that appear in Chapter 5 : "Cocktails and the stories that belong to them". Here Colin shares his recipes for the "Ritz Pimm's", "Miss Bonde", "The Georges", "Serendipiti", and many others which Mr. Field shares not only the recipe, but some of the story surrounding its birth.
The "Bar Hemingway" is indeed a unique bar in the heart of Paris, just as Colin Field is a unique bartender. It should then come as no great surprise that his first cocktail book reflects this uniqueness in ways that will make it a favorite of many.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to spend New Year at the Ritz in Paris. The absolute highlight was the time spent in the Hemingway Bar. I never understood the meaning of serendipity until I found it, and to find there was a cocktail named after it when I did was more than the icing on the cake. Colin and his colleagues are not only masters of their trade, but also charming, witty, knowledgeable, humurous in the extreme. The perfect barmen. I bought the book as a souvenir and have been unable to put it down since opening at the first page. This is a must for any pretender to Colin's throne. Unfortunately, I suspect his abdication from the position of best bartender in the world will be a long time coming. The Hemingway Bar is the best kept secret in Paris and long may it remain so. Ssssshhh, don't tell anyone.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By MARIA
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
So glad I bought it. Nothing like the real thing ( which I truely enjoyed..... love to read through once in a while , recipies are in there too!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By BS AZ
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I've been lucky enough to go to the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz Paris and be served by Colin, so I have a lot of respect and adulation for him. My partner got me this book since she knew how much I loved the place. I would say this is one of the finest cocktail books you can get. The recipes are easy to understand and execute, and sure to impress all your friends. The stories and histories of the cocktails presented in this book are informative and entertaining as well. Actually the stories are what sets this book above other recipe books.
If you're serious about cocktails and respect the art that can go into bar tending then you should absolutely add this to your collection. And if you're ever in Paris, be sure to drop by the Hemingway Bar to get your copy signed by Colin.
If you're serious about cocktails and respect the art that can go into bar tending then you should absolutely add this to your collection. And if you're ever in Paris, be sure to drop by the Hemingway Bar to get your copy signed by Colin.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Rabid Reader
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
My sister and I had the pleasure of meeting author Colin Field last year at the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz hotel in Paris.
The previous year I had given the book to my sister and we vowed to visit him a year later. He oozed charm and sophistication, and his cocktails were original and vibrant.
The recipes in the book are wonderful, with only a few weird concoctions.
The previous year I had given the book to my sister and we vowed to visit him a year later. He oozed charm and sophistication, and his cocktails were original and vibrant.
The recipes in the book are wonderful, with only a few weird concoctions.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Interesting tale of drinks preoared by the bartenders of the famed Hotel Ritz and Papa Hemingways home away from home.
By m.s. lambard
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Actually got some help from Colin Field about where to find it.
Great book about cocktails, familiar and exotic, and the stories behind them.
Great book about cocktails, familiar and exotic, and the stories behind them.
3 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As a former bartender at a private country club, I can fully appreciate Mr. Field's work and position at the Ritz Paris. His book is a vey informative and enjoyable read. I had the pleasure to live at the Ritz for two weeks in 1981 after graduation from college, and look forward to visiting again soon to see the completed renovations that were in progress when I was there. The book sure makes me yearn to return to the Ritz as soon as I can. When I do, I will be sure to drop by the bar to say "hello" to a very accomplished barman!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 11
books:
See all 11 books this book cites
3
books
cite this book:
- Dry Martini: A Gentleman Turns to Love (Lost American Fiction) by John Thomas on page 45, and page 51
- Dutch Courage and Other Stories (The Collected Works of Jack London - 56 Volumes) on page 45
- The Man Who Would Be King and Other Stories (Oxford World's Classics) by Rudyard Kipling on page 50
- The Second World War (Events of Yesteryear) by Michel Pierre in Front Matter
- The Stork Club Bar Book (Classic Cocktail Books series) by Lucius Beebe in Front Matter
See all 11 books this book cites
- The Art of the Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the Classics by Jeff Hollinger on page 138, and Back Matter
- Dear Papa, Dear Hotch: The Correspondence of Ernest Hemingway and A. E. Hotchner by Albert J. DeFazio on page 234
- Dishing: Great Dish -- and Dishes -- from America's Most Beloved Gossip Columnist by Liz Smith on page 129
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