This month’s Mixology Monday is hosted by Joe and Dinah (aka Metagrrrl) at Bibulo.us, and our topic is 19th Century Cocktails.  When I saw this, I thought, “Awesome – This is right up my alley.”  You see, I’m a history nerd at heart.  I’ve got both a BA and an MA in American History, with a concentration in 19th Century American History, so you’ll understand my excitement.  

After paging through David Wondrich’s Imbibe!, a great book on the early history of American cocktails, I came upon the Prince of Wales Cocktail.  With a great backstory and promising flavors, I had to try it.  

His Highness Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, was the son of Queen Victoria.  He was born on November 9, 1841, and ascended to his title on December 8, 1841.  As the son of one of the longest living monarchs in Great Britain’s long and storied history, one could say that the guy had some time to kill before he could become king.  59 years, in fact.  So, with that much time on his hands, and with mom not allowing you to do anything related to the governance of Great Britain, you’d probably end up doing exactly what he did – become a playboy and travel the world on the family fortune.  

 In 1860, the Prince became the first member of the British royal family to visit North America.  His charm and affable nature attracted huge crowds wherever he went.  He stayed with President James Buchanan in the White House for three days, saw Niagara Falls, and visited New York City.  Although we don’t know the exact provenance of the Prince of Wales Cocktail (of which there are many variations), perhaps he rubbed shoulders with the likes of Jerry Thomas during his trip to the United States.  

The Prince of Wales Cocktail
from Imbibe!, David Wondrich 

• 1.5 oz rye whiskey
• 1/4 tsp. maraschino liqueur
• 1 tsp. bar sugar
• 1/2 tsp. water
• 1/8th of a ring of Pineapple
• lemon zest
• 1 dash of Angostura bitters
• 1 oz Champagne

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 14th, 2008 at 9:44 pm and is filed under Champagne, MxMo, Rye. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.