Ever Drink a Pine Tree?
While poking around on The Art of Drink, I came across this webified version of the 1862 mixology classic, Jerry Thomas' Bartender's Guide or How to Mix Drinks.
In the book, Thomas dispenses timeless advice for barkeeps like, "Ice must be washed clean before being used, and then never touched with the hand, but placed in the glass either with an ice-scoop or tongs."
He also provides recipes for bizarre concoctions like the Rumfustian (ale, gin, sherry, and 12 eggs served piping hot) that have, perhaps mercifully, slipped into obscurity over the past 140 years.
My personal favorite is Gin and Pine, a libation I'm sure Euell Gibbons would've called his "back-to-nature" cocktail.
"Split a piece of the heart of a green pine log into
fine splints, about the size of a cedar lead-pencil, take
two ounces of the same and put into a quart decanter,
and fill the decanter with gin. Let the pine soak for two hours, and the gin will be ready to serve."
Sounds delicious. I'll bet those pine splinters are a real bitch to pull out of your liver though.