In 1930, the famed bartender and author of the savoy cocktail book, har. Feb 03, 2010 whatever happened on the evening of jan. Created in the 1920s at the pegu club, an expat gentlemens club in british colonial rangoon, burma. Salud united states of cocktails captures a cocktail boom. Imagine the great victorian storyteller rudyard kipling on his visit to the pegu club in 1889, sipping the signature drink as he writes his famous lines. Whether it becomes a bar, hotel, museum, restaurant, or remains an empty shell, it will be a marker of myanmars.
Not only was jerry thomas one of the most famous and well paid american. Despite the burden of colonial history, the clubs iconic cocktail is light and. The official definition of a cocktail, according to the merriamwebster diction. The pegu club or the pegu is a ginbased cocktail that was the signature drink of burmas pegu club. It was built in the late 1880s and remained one of the top drinking establishments in the british empire until world war ii, when it was burned down by the japanese.
Pegu club helped craft a wonderful template for cocktail bars, but like every great movement, the followers watered down the concept. No real rocket surgery here, but its still a great drink, its blue and. Apr 30, 2020 one of new yorks earliest craft cocktail bar destinations, pegu club, is closing permanently after nearly 15 years in soho. Gin, cointreau, lime juice and angostura bitters with a lime wheel garnish make up the pegu club cocktail at 2 birds 1 stone in washington, dc. A popular recipe also featured in harry craddocks book from 1930, savoy cocktail book of 1930. The pegu club cocktail originated the pegu club in rangoon, the capital of myanmar or burma, which was formerly part of the british empire. Owner audrey saunders writes in an email that that the pioneering bar. The pegu club is named for the bar it was invented in, which was built in rangoon, burma now yangon, myanmar in 1880 to serve british army officers. It dates back to the early 20th century, first mentioned in the 1930 savoy cocktail book, in which harry craddock credits the drink to the pegu club in burma. At the pegu club, a prestigious social club built in the 1880s in what was then rangoon, burma now yangon, myanmar, the signature drink was the pegu club cocktail. References to this club abound in colonial era literature, inlcuding of course, the work of rudyard kipling. Book club discussions are great conversations based on a common book that everyone has read. The legacy is right there in foothigh neon letters. Worlds best cocktail bar pegu club new york, new york.
In school, having a favorite class was usually dependent on the teacher. Jun 09, 2020 pegu club is that rare bar where there is no argument about its influence. May 05, 2020 frizell, a drinks geek with a history buff side and a penchant for classic new orleans cocktails, came from a publishing background and first encountered saunders in the comments section of her husband robert hess former cocktail blog, drink boy, and later at pegu as a patron. Jun 15, 2020 a lesser known, but albeit classic cocktail. The ingredients come together in the glass, resulting in a savvy cocktail with gentle citrus notes.
Learn everything there is to know about your favorite cocktails and stay up to date on the latest news, trends, and product releases in the industry. One sip and youll understand why its still a cocktail classic. Resembling an early ancestor of the long island iced tea, it called for six kinds of liquors, adding up to a full eightandonehalf ounces of booze. As i am discovering with a lot of cocktails, the recipe is a good place to start from. Discover the murky and fascinating tales behind the history of the cocktail. Its a social club with a long history that is still going strong today. The pegu club is the signature serve of burmas pegu club, a renowned membership club that was frequented by senior british government, military officials and prominent businessmen during the late 1800s. One of the main reasons for the appearance of variations on the pegu club cocktail was the establishment of a pegu club in new york city, a bar known for its attention to detail and numerous original recipes.
Pegu club, a pioneering manhattan cocktail bar, wont reopen. He would make them for patrons regularly at the savoy. At blackbird a drink on the menu was called the pegu club. Oct 03, 2020 brian bartels, coowner of settle down tavern, wrote the united states of cocktails, a coasttocoast cocktail travelogue with drinks from the 50 states and washington, d. The drink was created with a view to becoming the bars signature cocktail, and offered great refreshment in a hot country. Jan 21, 2021 since the pegu club cocktail was first mixed up, it has appeared in several classic cocktail books including harrys abc of mixing cocktails and the savoy cocktail book with slightly different recipes. The pegu club is the kind of cocktail im typically drawn too.
The pegu club usually pronounced pehgoo was house cocktail at the pegu club pronounced peezhoo, a british gentlemans club in rangoon, burma during the colonial era. The pegu club cocktail at pegu club i came here with maks that weekend he came from san francisco and went on to paris, and later on with a group of friends from work after some light pregaming at mari vanna and dos caminos, en route to. Night life in jakarta bars, clubs, discos, and night clubs. Oct 30, 2007 as master mixologist harry craddock observed in 1930, the pegu club cocktail has travelled, and is asked for, around the world. As master mixologist harry craddock observed in 1930, the pegu club cocktail has travelled, and is asked for, around the world.
Fundamentals, formulas, evolutions by alex day, david kaplan, and nick fauchald. One such classic cocktail i particularly enjoyed was the pegu club cocktail. Pegu club drink recipe how to make the perfect pegu club. Shake cointreau, lime juice, and bitters together for the perfectly balanced pegu club cocktail, a gin makeover of the classic margarita. Laura sant what will we be mixing, sipping and reading about this spring. Pegu club cocktail via andrew willett kindred cocktails. Pegu club, a pioneering manhattan cocktail bar, wont. Salud united states of cocktails captures a cocktail. The drink traveled throughout the world and was a hit until sometime around world war ii.
It fell from popularity sometime around wwii, but its complex flavors and refreshing taste are well suited to todays cocktail enthusiasts. Wondrich laid into the bath cure, the house drink at chicagos famous pump house. Openended questions help ignite discussions involving the whole group. Shop a full spectrum of unexpected gifts for cocktail and culinary enthusiasts and history buffs from history company. How the pegu club connects contemporary cocktail culture. The origins of the drink stem from the british colonial pegu club, a colonial outpost for gentleman in rangoon, burma. Pegu club how to make the classic gin cocktail youtube. The cocktail became popular in the 1930s when it was featured in the savoy cocktail book. Pegu club cocktail lounge in nyc closes permanently after. A number of venues have live bands entertaining their guests. Invented in burma, at a british club called the pegu club, this tropicallytinged cocktail found its way into the savoy cocktail book. Over the past 15 years or so, weve enjoyed whats come to be known as the craft cocktail renaissance. Grab a cocktail at the lounge and maybe wander upstairs to the rooftop terraceall the stuff that makes a great vacay. I dont think they ate tacos at the pegu club, however.
Maybe you first heard rumors of it from harry craddocks the savoy cocktail book. Audrey saunders, owner of pegu club, new york city the cocktail chronicles is not just an engaging inquiry to the classics, but a unique eyewitness account of the contemporary craft cocktail revolution. The club was named after the pegu, a burmese river. The club was located just outside rangoon, and its members were those britons who were senior government and military officials and prominent businessmen.
The pegu club was a boys club located in rangoon, burma now known as yangon, myanmar was the center of british social life during the 1920s. The pegu club cocktail 2 ounces of dry gin 34 ounce of orange curacao 34 ounce of fresh lime juice 1 dash angostura bitters 1 dash orange bitters. Pegu club photos and premium high res pictures getty images. Best new book on drinks culture, history or spirits presented by tales of the cocktail foundation a drinkable feast. Theres one other early book that has the pegu club cocktail in it, and it presents a rather different version of the drink from either of these. The pegu club is named for the bar it was invented in, which was built in rangoon, burma now yangon, myanmar in 1880 to serve british army. They not only sing a variety of pop hits but also have a great performance routine that is part of the show. History company offers a full spectrum of unexpected gifts for cocktail and culinary enthusiasts and history buffs. The pegu club, named for the nearby pegu river, made its way around the world with brits and foreigners alike in the early 20th century. The pegu club eventually found its way into harrys new york bar owner harry macelhones. A cocktail companion to 1920s paris by philip greene. It gained fame in 1930, after it earned an entry in the savoy cocktail book.
Best classic cocktail bar zig zag cafe seattle, washington. No one is certain who created it or when it was invented, but it must have been before 1927, as that was the year of publication of harry macelhones barflies and cocktails, which was the first book to make mention of the pegu club. A captivating gin sour, you can think of the pegu club cocktail as gins answer to the daiquiri and margarita. The pegu club is a delicious gin sour, the house drink of rangoons colonialera pegu club. Inspectors have bartenders walking on eggshells the new. Kipling refers to the club in his visit to rangoon as a young journalist in 1899 try the mutton, he was told. Now that the old fashioned has largely returned to the original recipe from the early 19th century, it stands as an iconic american cocktail and a symbol of.
Pegu club cocktail recipe pegu club david lebovitz. Spirited awards archive tales of the cocktail foundation. Aug 26, 2019 this was the house cocktail in the 1920s at burmas pegu club, a gentlemans establishment for british army officers and government officials. For more information on our products, contact us today. While the pegu club as a cocktail has all but disappeared from memory in presentday myanmar, the drink ventured far and wide. The cocktail is a style of mixed drink made of liquor, water, sugar, and bitters. British imperial officials and other causasians would enjoy a cold gin at the pegu club, after long hot days furthering the empire. Bitters are once again routinely used in manhattans and oldf. The 15 most influential bartenders of the last century. No real rocket surgery here, but its still a great drink, its blue and it rhymes. This gin drink was invented in a british social club in burma.
If a hint of sweetness is preferred, splash in a dash or two of simple syrup 1. An exact replica of the pegu club cocktail but with blue curacao instead of orange. Meehans recipe calls for banks 5 island rum, a white rum made from 21 different types of rum from five caribbean islands. This drink was created at the pegu club in rangoon, burma, probably in the 1920s. The pendennis was established in 1881 and is often cited as the birthplace of the old fashioned cocktail. A cocktail that originated in a british officers club in. Best new cocktail or bartending book presented by tales of the cocktail foundation cocktail codex.
On the road to mandalay, where the flyin fishes play. Its made with two ounces dry gin, threefourths ounces each of lime juice and orange curacao, and a. According to harry craddocks savoy cocktail club of. It wasnt until the 2000s when the old fashioned started appearing in its classic form in cocktail bars such as the pegu club ny, employees only ny, and bourbon and branch sf. The pegu club was a bar and night club built in the 1880s to serve british soldiers stationed near rangoon, burma, now known as yangon, myanmar. The pegu club, named for the nearby pegu river, made its way around the world with brits and foreigners alike in the. Tats the puzzling little volume called cocktails, by jimmy late of ciros ciros was the chic london nightclub where mcelhone had been head bartender before he went to paris.
In yangon, the pegu club cocktail is available in the strand hotel, the governors residence, and as of 2018, at the original pegu club. Susan magrino and tony esnault attend adam platt and new york magazine celebrate the new stars at the pegu club on january 5, 2006 in new york city. I was asked to speak at jillians book club, and of course i said yes. Jul 20, 2015 whatever the pegu club and its cocktail s history, its future is most telling. The closing of pegu club is the end of a cocktail era. Pegu club cocktail 1 12 ounces gin 34 ounce orange curacao 1 teaspoon lime juice dash bitters dash orange bitters. Mar 30, 2006 this drink was created at the pegu club in rangoon, burma, probably in the 1920s.
It was a bracing, sophisticated gin cocktail, everything that i wanted in a gin cocktail. Culinary enthusiasts history company history company. Pegu club cocktail was first introduced in the 1920s. It dates back to the early 20th century, first mentioned in the 1930 savoy cocktail book, in which harry craddock credits the drink to the pegu club in burma myanmar today. At that point in new york, 99 per cent of all the bars had at least 20 vodkas on the backbar and maybe three gins. Cheers to the history of this cocktail, to audrey saunders, and to the incredible influence of the pegu club in new york.
Pegu club cocktail cocktail recipes pandoras cigar box. A bar crawl through the craft cocktail revival punch. The pegu clubs bartenders produced a truly fantastic cocktail that has stood the test of time. The pegu club is a prohibitionera cocktail made with london dry gin, orange curacao or other orange liqueur, lime juice and aromatic bitters. May 06, 2020 pegu club helped craft a wonderful template for cocktail bars, but like every great movement, the followers watered down the concept. Find last minute deals on oyo rooms hotels in jakarta hotwire. Delve deeper into the books making the charts, and get tips for keeping your reading group engaged.
Sometimes it is a local band or many times the venue will contract a band from overseas for a 2 or 3 month period. Places yangon following britains 120year rule over burma, the streets of the former capital are lined with hundreds of colonialera buildings including the pegu club, the most famous gentlemen. They do call for an orange liqueur and if you use, say, orange. The cocktail faded into obscurity only to be revived during the heady early years of the vintage cocktail revival of the aughts.
England and burma had multiple struggles throughout the 1800s, and burma became a british colony after the angloburma wars. Were not sure precisely when it was invented, but it had to be. Apr 30, 2020 pegu club, the soho bar that kicked the cocktail revival in new york city into high gear when it opened in 2005 and quickly became one of the most influential cocktail bars in the world, will not. Kipling is gone, and the club has vanished along with the british, but the pegu club cocktail is still the drink of goodfellowship. She has days as frazzled as my daughters, riding range over her small crazy boys.
The cocktail appears in the 1923 harry of ciros abc of mixing cocktails with the following recipe 1 dash of angostura bitters, 1 dash of orange bitters, 1 teaspoon lime juice roses, 16 curacao orange 23 gin which transposes. In new york city, a bar named pegu club serves the cocktail. And like the pegu club which was named for the historic english gentlemans club in burma, this one references a similar establishment located in louisville, kentucky. One sip and youll understand why its still a cocktail. Find resources for your book club, whether it meets in your living room or across cyberspace. May 14, 2012 this may be the only bad cocktail in the savoy cocktail book, mr. Willett provides alternative ratios of gin to orange liqueur. Cocktails for the history books the new york times. Exclusive offerings include retro and vintagestyle glasswarebarware gifts with remarkable connections to history, people, and places.
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