Joe Gilmore (19 May 1922 – 18 December 2015) was one of the longest running Head Barmen at The

Savoy Hotel The Savoy Hotel is a luxury hotel located in the Strand in the City of Westminster in central London, England. Built by the impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan opera productions, it opened on 6 August 188 ...

's American Bar. He was born in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

and moved to London in 1938. Gilmore started as a trainee barman at The American Bar in 1940 and was appointed Head Barman in 1955, a position he held until he retired in 1976. Over his years as Head Barman, Gilmore invented numerous cocktails to mark special events and important guests, a longstanding tradition at the American Bar. Gilmore invented cocktails in honour of various politicians, celebrities, and members of royalty, including

Prince William William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was educat ...

The Princess Royal Princess Royal is a style customarily (but not automatically) awarded by a British monarch to their eldest daughter. Although purely honorary, it is the highest honour that may be given to a female member of the royal family. There have been sev ...

, The Queen Mother, Prince Andrew,

Sir Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...

, and American Presidents

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

and Richard Nixon. He also invented cocktails to commemorate the first walk on the moon in 1969 by

Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer who became the first person to walk on the Moon in 1969. He was also a naval aviator, test pilot, and university professor. ...

, and the American and Russian link-up in space in 1975. In addition to serving five generations of royals at private receptions and parties, Gilmore has also served Errol Flynn,

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American Double act, comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–19 ...

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...

, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Grace Kelly, George Bernard Shaw, Ernest Hemingway,

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...

, Alice Faye,

Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films, television movies, and plays.Obituary ''Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, she is often ...

Julie Andrews Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Fi ...

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

Joan Crawford, Judy Garland,

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

and

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

. Gilmore retired from the Savoy in 1976 and died in 2015.

Cocktails created by Joe Gilmore

The Blenheim

Created for

’s ninetieth birthday. It is also known as the Four Score and Ten.

Churchill

Created for

on one of his many visits to The Savoy.

Common market

Created to mark Britain’s entry into the

European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisb ...

in 1973, using drinks from all the member states.

Four score (1955)

Created for

’s eightieth birthday.

Golden doublet

Created in 1973 to commemorate the wedding of Princess Anne to Captain Mark Phillips. Doublet was the name of the Princess’s horse on which she participated in the European Championships in 1973.

Kensington Court special

Created for Sir David Davies.

Link up

Created in 1975 to mark the American and Russians link up in Space, the Apollo–Soyuz project. The link up cocktail was sent to the U.S. and

U.S.S.R. The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

for the astronauts to enjoy when they returned from their mission. When told this by NASA as they linked up in Space, they responded, "Tell Joe we want it up here."

Lorraine

Created to mark President

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...

’s State visit to Britain after the Second World War.

Missouri mule

The Missouri mule cocktail was created for President Harry S Truman. The cocktail commemorates Truman's home state of Missouri and the

donkey The domestic donkey is a hoofed mammal in the family Equidae, the same family as the horse. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a ...

mascot of the Democratic Party (a mule is a hybrid of a donkey and a horse).

Moonwalk

Created in 1969 to mark the first moon landing. The cocktail was the first drink the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

s had when they returned to Earth. A letter of thanks was later sent from

to Joe Gilmore.

My Fair Lady

Created to mark

’ first night in the musical My Fair Lady.

Nixon

Created in 1969 to mark American President Richard Nixon's visit to Britain. The cocktail was mixed at the American bar and then sent over to Claridge's where Nixon was staying.

Powerscourt

Created for Sarah, Duchess of York’s

The Ed Shelly

Created for Edward Shelly at his request.

Royal arrival

Created in 1960 to mark the birth of Prince Andrew.

Savoy affair

Created by Joe Gilmore at the

Atlantic Hotel Atlantic Hotel is the name of many hotels around the world: Germany *Hotel Atlantic Kempinski, Hamburg Ireland *Atlantic Hotel (Spanish Point, Ireland) United Kingdom * Atlantic Hotel (Chelmsford) * Atlantic Hotel (Glasgow) * Atlantic Hotel (Jer ...

, Hamburg, Germany.

Savoy royale

Created for The Queen Mother on one of her private visits to The Savoy.

Savoy corpse reviver

The Corpse Revivers are a series of hangover cures invented during prohibition. This recipe is a variation invented by Gilmore in 1954.

Wolfram

Created in 1990 to commemorate the election of John Wolff Director of

Rudolf Wolff Rudolf Wolff & Co. was founded in London in 1866 as a metal merchant. In 1877, Rudolf Wolff was amongst the group of merchants who formed the London Metal Exchange. Over the years Rudolf Wolff & Co became one of the leading brokers and Ring dealin ...

as Chairman of the London Metal Exchange. "Wolfram" is another name for the element tungsten.

Cocktails created by Joe Gilmore

The Blenheim

Churchill

Common market

Four score (1955)

Golden doublet

Kensington Court special

Link up

Lorraine

Missouri mule

Moonwalk

My Fair Lady

Nixon

Powerscourt

The Ed Shelly

Royal arrival

Savoy affair

Savoy royale

Savoy corpse reviver

Wolfram

See also

References

Further reading