Of Puns & Prairie Oysters - An American Drink Buffet in Dublin, 1892

In March of 1892 The Burlington Hotel & Restaurant in Dublin (Not the newer iteration, this one was in that lovely building on the corner of Andrew's Street and Church Lane, opposite the church and the Molly Malone statue.) hosted a celebrity of sorts in the shape of an 'American Drink Concocter', perhaps a precedent mixologist or a cocktail maker, although I can't find much else about him online in a quick search. This Mr. Fenlon seems to have done the rounds - even appearing in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show - and could make up any number of interesting sounding drinks including the new-to-me 'Heap of Comfort', 'Stone Fence' and a 'Dog's Nose', but then again I have led a sheltered life and cocktails are not really of huge interest to me, although some of those listed may be worth investigating further ...

What was more of interest to me were the Prairie Oyster, as I did a double take thinking in my mind of Rocky Mountain Oysters, but this type of oyster is a little less controversial being made with a shelled but unbroken raw egg, tomato juice, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, salt and ground black pepper plus alcohol, usually brandy - although these ingredients seem to vary greatly from recipe to recipe. This 'American Buffet' first appeared in 1886 when, I'd suggest, many of these drinks were first seen on these shores, brought over by the Burlington's then manager Mr. G. J. Heron who I suspect was an American or at least an Americophile given he worked in Cincinnati and New York previously. (There's more history on the establishment here.)

But what really caught my eye was the fun inclusion of a 'Drinking Time Table' in the advertisement that gives you a handy name for that drink you partake of at various times of the day and which I will transcribe here:

6 am, Eye Opener

7 am, Appetizer

8 am, Digester

9 am, Quarter Stretch

10 am, Refresher

11 am, Stimulator

12 noon, Lunch

1 pm, Settler

2 pm, Cooler

3 pm, Three-Quarter Pole

4 pm, Mutual Smile

5 pm, Invigorator

6 pm, Home Stretch

7 pm, Social Chat

8 pm, Fancy Smile

9 pm, Broad Grin

10 pm, Preparer

11 pm, Night Cap

12 pm, A Lecture Deliver Us

The relationship of the sun versus the yardarm be damned if you are having an Eye Opener or a Digester, but to each their own I guess - whatever gets you through trying times ...

And if this wasn't enough the advertisement then delivers a serious of puns of drinks for certain occupations or personalities:

Homesick Mariner - Dry Port

Recluse - Hermitage

Nurseryman - Shrub

Bird Fancier - Canary

Pillaging Soldier - Sac

Officer Encamped - Tent

Affable Person - Cordial

Pugilist - Punch

Trapper - Gin

Tide Waiter - Currant Wine

Silent Party - Still Hock

Disputant Irishman - Rayson Wine

Irish Cook - Poteen

Carrier - Porter

Robust Man - Stout

Lunatic - Mad-eira

Driver of a Two-in-Hand - Rhenish Wine

Undertaker - Beer

Odd-Fellow - Rum

Sick Body - Pale Ale

Sprightly One - Sparkling Champagne

Okay, I'll admit that some of those are stretching it a little, and some are quite obscure drink references, but surely even bad jokes can make you smile?

I'm sure we could come up with a host of more modern ones these days.

IF we wanted to ...

Liam

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