Thank you, Jerry Thomas

If you’ve ever woken up with a thumping headache after enjoying a few too many Long Island Iced Teas, then you’ve got Jerry to thank. He’s the father of cocktails and also the first man to make mixing drinks into a form of entertainment. (Sorry Tom Cruise, you can’t take that claim to fame from the 80’s film Cocktail).

Born in 1830, Jerry worked his way around New York saloons perfecting his art before publishing ‘How to Mix Drinks’, in 1862. It was the first time anyone had made a book featuring how to make cocktails and was an instant hit. Best of all, he was known for his flashy showmanship with entertaining techniques of mixing cocktails, juggling bottle and pouring his creations from heights. His signature cocktail, the Blue Blaze, involved setting whiskey on fire and passing it back and forth between to glasses, creating an arc of fire. Now that’s a cocktail we’d like to make a return.

Setting spirits a blaze made Jerry a rich man and in his heyday he reportedly made more than the US Vice President. Sadly, Jerry’s investment instincts were not as honed as his cocktail making skills, and his fortune didn’t last long.

We can only imagine what would have been possible if Jerry could get his hands on Elderbrook and let his cocktail inspired imagination run wild.

So to honour Jerry and help our David celebrate his birthday this weekend, here’s a new Elderbrook cocktail recipe to try.

The Jerry Brook

· 100ml dark rum,

· 50 Elderbrook Lime, Mint, and Baobab,

· 150ml Passion fruit,

· 50ml Absinthe,

· A dash of almond flavouring,

· A dash of Angostura bitters,

· 300ml ginger beer.

Mix well and serve tall with ice and a wedge of lime.

Enjoy.