Harry MacElhone (1890 – 1958) was an early 20th century bartender, famous for his bar in Paris, Harry's New York Bar; his influential cocktail book, ''Harry's ABC of Mixing Cocktails;'' and for inventing or first publishing numerous classic cocktails.

Career

MacElhone was born in Dundee, Scotland, on 16 June 1890,Rob Chirico, ''Field Guide to Cocktails'' p. 66 and 189, 2005 by Quirk Productions. He began working at Ciro's Club in London after

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, before moving to Paris and buying Harry's New York Bar in 1923. He later worked at the

Plaza Hotel The Plaza Hotel (also known as The Plaza) is a luxury hotel and condominium apartment building in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is located on the western side of Grand Army Plaza, after which it is named, just west of Fifth Avenue, ...

in New York. , his descendants continued to run Harry's New York Bar.

''Harry's ABC of Mixing Cocktails''

MacElhone published a series of cocktail books, in various editions and printings, commonly known as ''Harry's ABC of Mixing Cocktails'', beginning with ''Harry of Ciro's ABC of Mixing Cocktails'' in 1922, and ending with the twelfth version, the "New Edition" in 1952/53; except for the last one, they were all from the interwar period (specifically 1922–1939). One book was published with a different title and somewhat different format, ''Barflies and Cocktails'' (1927), which corresponds to the seventh edition – this was published between the sixth edition and eighth edition, there was no ''ABC'' listed as a seventh edition, and prior to publication it was referred to as "the new edition of Harry's A.B.C. of Cocktails". ''Barflies and Cocktails'' had illustrations, a different publisher (Lecram Press, Paris), and supplement about the bar's customers and their favored drinks, but the same main list of cocktails (with minor updates from the earlier book). These books were very popular, feature the earliest known recipes of many important drinks, and provide a record of cocktail culture as it spread internationally in the interwar period, during and immediately after Prohibition.

Cocktails

Ciro's is also where he began working on his earliest version of the White Lady which included

gin Gin () is a distilled alcoholic drink flavoured with juniper berries and other botanical ingredients. Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe. The modern gin was modified in Flanders and the Netherlands ...

Crème de menthe Crème de menthe (, French for "mint cream") is a sweet, mint-flavored alcoholic beverage. It is available commercially in a colorless version (called "white") and a green version (colored by the mint leaves or by added coloring if made from ext ...

, Triple sec and

lemon juice The lemon (''Citrus'' × ''limon'') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some ...

. He is often credited with inventing many other cocktails, including the Bloody Mary, the

Sidecar A sidecar is a one-wheeled device attached to the side of a motorcycle, Scooter (motorcycle), scooter, or bicycle, making the whole a three-wheeled vehicle. The combination of a motorcycle with a sidecar is sometimes called a ''rig'', ''outfit' ...

, the Monkey Gland, the

Paradise In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...

, the Boulevardier, and an early form of the French 75.

References

Bartenders 1890 births 1958 deaths People from Dundee Scottish emigrants to the United States Writers from New York City Scottish food writers {{Scotland-bio-stub