Jerry Thomas
Jerry Thomas (1830–1885) was an American bartender and author whose 1862 book, How to Mix Drinks, helped establish the modern cocktail tradition.
How to Mix Drinks: A bartending manual published by Jerry Thomas in 1862, widely regarded as the first major American cocktail book. It made Thomas’s recipes and methods available beyond the bars where he worked.
Martinez: A classic gin-and-vermouth cocktail often regarded as a precursor to the martini. A recipe for the Martinez appeared in later editions of Thomas’s influential manual.
The Bon Vivant's Companion: A common title for later editions of Jerry Thomas’s 1862 bartending manual, also known as How to Mix Drinks. Its publication fixed Thomas’s recipes in print and shaped his reputation.
Cocktail renaissance: A late twentieth- and early twenty-first-century revival of interest in classic cocktails and high-quality bar craft. Bartenders rediscovered Thomas’s book as a source for historical recipes and techniques.
Cocktail: An alcoholic mixed drink, typically combining spirits with flavoring ingredients such as bitters, sugar, or citrus. Thomas’s writing helped codify the drink tradition that gives his work its lasting significance.
Tom and Jerry: A warm holiday drink made with a batter of eggs, sugar, and spices, mixed with spirits and hot liquid. Thomas’s book helped popularize this drink, which is often associated with his name.
American bar: A drinking establishment in the United States where alcoholic beverages are served over a counter or at tables. Thomas built his career in the rapidly developing urban bar culture of nineteenth-century America.
Mixology: The practice and study of creating mixed drinks, especially cocktails. Thomas’s authorship helped frame drink-making as a body of knowledge worth recording and refining.
Bartending: The work of preparing and serving drinks, especially at a bar. Thomas helped turn bartending into a public performance as well as a practical trade.
Improvisation: The creation or performance of something without fully predetermined steps. Thomas’s reputation rested partly on inventing drinks to suit patrons and occasions.