Another New Orleans Original

This iconic New Orleans drink was created by a very unlikely bar owner. Mr. Henry C. Ramos was born in Indiana but started his career in a beer saloon in Baton Rouge. After some years he decided to buy a bar in New Orleans together with his brother and in 1887 they bought the Imperial Cabinet on Gravier Street. This was where Henry, or Carl to his friends, created the Ramos Fizz in 1888, originally the New Orleans Fizz.

The reason Mr. Ramos was such an unlikely bar owner was that he was a teetotaler and absolutely despised drunkenness. Everyday he walked around his bar talking to the customers to check their level of tipsiness and refusing to serve any more cocktails to intoxicated guests. To make absolutely sure that the Imperial Cabinet stayed a respectable establishment he only accepted the most well-behaved customers. For the same reason he closed the bar every evening at eight o’clock and kept the bar open for a mere two hours on Sundays afternoons and this only after he was talked into it.

Mr. Ramos also had strict rules for how his Ramos Fizz was made stating that it should be shaken for no less than 12 minutes. Since the drink was an instant success he had to keep 20 “shaker boys” making the Ramos Fizz on staff at any given time and even more during Mardi Gras. On October 27, 1919 the last Ramos Fizz was served and the doors of the Imperial Cabinet were closed due to Prohibition, something Mr. Ramos, as a teetotaler fully supported. The recipe remained a secret until he finally revealed it to a reporter from New Orleans Item-Tribune just days before his passing in 1928.

Ramos Fizz

2 parts Gin
1/2 part Lemon juice
1/2 part Lime juice
3/4 part Sugar syrup
1 part Crem
1 Egg white
2 dashes Orange flower water
1-2 parts Club soda

Shake all ingredients except soda without ice (dry shake), preferably 12 minutes. Add ice and shake again. Pour slowly into chilled glass. Add club soda to the shaker to get the remaining froth and pour slowly into glass.

A Logo As A Birthday Gift

When my daughter was about to turn three she asked me what a logo was. I told her it is a mark or a symbol representing a company or organization to make it recognizable among other businesses. She then asked if she could have one. Of course, I said, you can wish for one for your birthday. Since then I make her a new logo every year as a birthday gift and she uses them as a stamp to put in books she is given so that she will know how old she was when she got them. Or we make them into stickers that she can put on her toys. We have even printed them on Christmas baubles as to remember that years Christmas.

Something Swedish For Midsummer

One of the biggest and most important celebrations in Sweden is Midsummer when Swedes leave the city and gather around the Midsummer pole, eat herring and down a copious amount of nubbe (schnapps). What then could be better than presenting one of the very few truly Swedish cocktails, Gröna Hissen (The Green Elevator).

The history of this very Swedish drink actually started, in a very roundabout way, with an American play called “Fair and Warmer” written in 1915 by American playwright Avery Hopwood. In 1921 the play found its way to Stockholm and the title was changed to “Gröna Hissen” (“The Green Elevator”). The lead in this popular production was played by Swedish actor Gösta Ekman and since cocktails was a big part of the play it didn’t take long until a cocktail was made in honor of the play and the beloved Gösta Ekman.

In 1944 the play was adapted to the cinema where the leads were played by Sickan Carlsson and Max Hansen giving the drink an even further boost.

The drink itself is a bit gimmicky with three raisins being added just to travel up and down thanks to the carbonation in the Champis or Pommac, two brands of a very Swedish soda originating in 1910 and 1919 respectively. This type of soda was first marketed as Champagnedricka (Champagne Soda) and was introduced to be a non alcoholic but yet sophisticated substitute for Champagne even though it was a whole of a lot sweeter. The name Pommac was taken from pomme, French for apple being a main ingredient, and Cognac, supposedly added to create a fuller bodied drink.

The Pommac brand was early to adopt marketing and PR strategies. At the Jubilee Exhibition in Gothenburg 1923 the just four year old company arranged an 11 meter wide Pommac tower serving the soda to half a million visitors. During the 1940s Pommac had famous Swedish artists make Pommac ads, much the same way as Absolut Vodka did decades later. Among these artists were Isaak Grünewald, Stellan Mörner and Sven X:et Erixon.

The glass called Vogue was designed by the Swedish designer Simon Gate in 1931.

Take Your Prints To The Beach

If you are going on vacation and desperately miss your mobilità prints, this is for you. Or if you just want to show off your sophisticated taste in cocktails together with your favorite islands while catching up on some well deserved rest on the beach. Maybe you are actually on one of the islands featured in the Island prints like Saint Barths, Bora Bora, Capri or Barbados or you want to set the pool bartender straight on how to make a perfekt Mai Tai.

If island life (or even cocktails) isn’t your thing why not have your home country, the country of your dreams, your favorite fika item, a fabulous piece of architecture, the Italian coffee drink of your choice or a Jaguar E-Type printed on the bag. All of the prints sold in the shop can be mixed and used for this high quality tote bag with sturdy canvas, vinyl sides and bottom and leather handles.

By the way, the tote works equally well going to the office or being out shopping.

What To Drink During Milano Design Week Day 7

Being the last day of Milano Design Week why not end with a classic, the Bellini. Even though it wasn’t created in Milano it is as Italian as Leonardo da Vinci and it makes for a great celebration of a fantastic week of design.

The Bellini was created in 1948 by Giuseppe Cipriani at the world famous Harry’s Bar in Venice. The drink was named Bellini because its pink color reminded Cipriani of the toga of a saint in a painting by 15th-century Venetian artist Giovanni Bellini. Harry’s Bar first opened in Venice in 1931 and was a favorite hangout for Ernest Hemingway, Truman Capote, and Orson Welles. In 2001 Harry’s Bar was declared a national landmark by the Italian Ministry for Cultural Affairs.

The Jellies Family Flute was designed by Patricia Urquiola in 2014 for the Italian company Kartell.

What To Drink During Milano Design Week Day 6

The Negroni Sbagliato (meaning mistaken or erroneous Negroni) was created in 1972 when Mirko Stocchetto at the historic Bar Basso in Milan added sparkling wine instead of the gin by mistake to a Negroni. A little lighter than a regular Negroni and close to the Spritz Veneziano the Negroni Sbagliato makes for a perfekt summer cocktail.

The glass is called X-Series and is a design by Finnish designer Tamara Aladin and was created in 1961.

So, if you happen to be in Milano, why not head straight to Bar Basso on Via Plinio 39 and have a Sbagliato where it was created, celebrating a 50 years old great mistake.

What To Drink During Milano Design Week Day 5

The Spritz Veneziano, also known as Aperol Spritz, originated around the 19th century in Venice. The Hapsburg soldiers that occupied the area thought the Venetian wines were too strong in alcohol so they started adding a spritz of water to the wine. At the turn of the nineteenth century, soda water was added instead of water and during the 1920s and 1930s a bitter was included, making it a real cocktail. Not until the 1990s Prosecco was finally added to the Spritz Veneziano.

The glass, called Smoke, was designed by Joe Colombo in 1964 and was made to make it easier to hold your cigarette and your glass in the same hand.

What To Drink During Milano Design Week Day 4

The Americano is a precursor of the Negroni. (The Negroni was created for Count Camillo Negroni who wanted something more potent than the classic Americano). Actually, the very first drink that James Bond ever ordered in one of Ian Fleming’s books about the British Secret Agent wasn't a Vesper, it was a Negroni. This was in Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale from 1953.

The glass called Cibi was designed by Italian architect and designer Cini Boeri in 1973 and was considered so futuristic it was featured in Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner from 1982.

What To Drink During Milano Design Week Day 3

The Angelo Azzurro was created in 1980 by bartender Giovanni “Mammina” Pepè for the opening of one Rome’s most popular LGBTQ + clubs, L’Angelo Azzurro in Trastevere with the cocktail mimicking the color of the walls in the club. The cocktail made with gin, triple sec and blue Curaçao is basically a modernized version of the Blue Logoon from the fifties and sixties. The Angelo Azzurro was made a big hit in bars all over the world when Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) ordered it in Miami Vice. It is hard to believe that Giovanni “Mammina” Pepè could ever imagine how big of a success the Angelo Azzurro would become.

The glass called Memphis was designed by Richard Holloway in 1982.

What To Drink During Milano Design Week Day 2

Count Camillo Negroni was the adventurous type. In 1892 he arrived from Italy to Ellis Island to try his fortunes in the US. There he supposedly worked as a banker, a cowboy and as a riverboat gambler before returning back to Florence.

In 1919, he stepped into his favorite bar, the Caffè Casoni in Florence, ready to try something new. His friend and bartender Fosco Scarselli substituted gin for soda from the Americano and thus created the perfect aperitivo cocktail, the Negroni.

Even though Negroni returned to Italy he was so influenced by his time in the US that when an American newsman bumped in to him on a trip to Italy in 1928, he walked around dressed in his cowboy attire.

The tumbler was designed by Massimo Vignelli in 1957 and produced by Venini on the island of Murano, just outside Venice, Italy.

What To Drink During Milano Design Week Day 1

Today Milano Design Week starts and if you are new to the city and want to look like it isn’t your your first rodeo, here are some tips on what to drink during your aperitivo. One distinctly Italian aperitif every day from Monday to Sunday starting with Milano – Torino.

As with a lot of older cocktails the origin is unknown and there are several different origin stories. The same goes for Milano-Torino. One story is that it was first served at Gaspare Campari’s Caffè Camparino in Milan in the 1860’s. Another that it was created in 1932 to celebrate the inauguration of the A4 Highway that connects Milano and Torino. Whatever the origin it is made with equal parts Campari from Milano and Punt e Mes from Torino.

The glass is one in a series of three glasses called Calci Milanesi and was designed by Agostina Bottoni in 2018 as a tribute to Milanese architecture.

A Super Sneaky Tiki

This is a tiki drink that wasn’t created by one of the tiki bar giants, Trader Vic or Don the Beachcomber. It was created either at the Wheel Bar at Harvey’s Casino Resort in Lake Tahoe or at Tiki Bob’s in San Francisco.

Harvey’s first opened right after WWII by gambling pioneer Harvey Gross. It started small with just six slot machines and eventually grew to a casino empire. In fact, it was the very first casino in Lake Tahoe, right at the border between Nevada and California.

Even though the Sneaky Tiki is fairly well known Harvey’s is probably more famous for a very well documented extortion attempt in 1980 when a disgruntled casino guest made a highly sophisticated boobytrapped bomb that he placed in the casino. The extortionist wanted to get $3 million from mr Gross after having lost $750,000 gambling. Harvey Gross refused to pay a dime and while the bomb squad tried to disarm the bomb, the 1,000 pounds of dynamite blew a five story hole in the building costing $18 million in repairs but luckily no lives.

Another possible creator of the Sneaky Tiki was “Sneaky” Bob Bryant. He worked in San Francisco as a bar manager for Trader Vic, who taught him the tricks of the trade. After a falling out with Victor Bergeron himself “Sneaky” Bob left and in 1955 he started his own tiki bar just down the street. A bar he named Tiki Bob’s. Decorated with Polynesian and Asian artifacts and having the guests welcomed by a 50s style tiki column right outside the entrance mr Bryant made a bar rivaling his former employer. The bar’s signature drink was called the Super Sneaky Tiki. “Sneaky” Bob had the foresight to introduce the tiki mug to his bar, a new concept at the time. The design for Tiki Bob’s logo and Tiki mug was made by Alec Yuill-Thornton, an illustrator who had previously worked with Trader Vic illustrating his book Kitchen Kibitzer. Being one of the first Tiki mugs it is highly sought after by collectors.

The only difference between the Sneaky Tiki and the Super Sneaky Tiki is that the latter is made with orange juice instead of pineapple juice and it’s made with only light rum.

Sneaky Tiki
1 part Dark Jamaican Rum
1 part Light Puerto Rican Rum
1/4 part Curaçao
1 1/2 part Pineapple juice
1 part Lemon juice
1/4 part Grenadine

Mix ingredients with ice in blender until smooth. Garnish with an orange wheel and a Maraschino cherry.

Welcome To The Jungle

On July 6, 1973 a special occasion was celebrated in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was the grand opening of the Kuala Lumpur Hilton, the first 5-star hotel in the country. For the occasion the hotel wanted to offer their guests a refreshing tropical drink so the beverage manager, Jeffrey Ong, was set to work. He created a Tiki-style mix of Jamaican dark rum, Campari, lime, pineapple juice and sugar syrup and named it Jungle Bird, a rather fitting name as it was served in the hotels Aviary Bar. The bar featured a glass panel overlooking an aviary next to the swimming pool, hence the name. Originally the cocktail was served in a bird shaped ceramic mug and was sipped from an opening in the tail.

The drink has kept its popularity but it took many years before it became an international hit, partly thanks to Jeff “Beachbum” Berry’s book “Intoxica” featuring exotic drinks from the golden age of the tiki bar.

When Jeffrey Ong passed away in 2019 the national Malaysian newspaper stated in the obituary that he was “the creator of Malaysia’s only internationally recognized classic cocktail”.

The glass was designed by Dutch designer Lara van der Lugt and is called Radiant.

Jungle Bird

3 parts Jamaican Dark Rum
1 part Campari
3 parts Pineapple juice
1 part Lime juice
1 part Sugar syrup
Shake ingredients with ice and strain into glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with an orchid.

Welcome to the jungle.

The Gonk

The Algonquin Hotel, a.k.a. The Gonk on New York’s 44th Street was designed by architect Goldwin Starrett and opened in 1902. Originally the owner wanted to name it “The Puritan” due to his involvement the Temperance movement. Frank Case, the general manager, objected and thought it was a terrible name that would scare guests off. Instead he suggested “The Algonquin” after finding out that the first settlers in the neighborhood were Native American Algonquins.

In 1907 mr Case took over the lease and then bought it in 1927. Thanks to the fact that the hotel sat right in Theater District and just down the street from Vanity Fair it became a preferred lunch spot for New York’s writers, journalists, artists and actors. In 1919 a group that called themselves “The Vicious Circle” formed, originally to welcome New York Times’s drama critic Alexander Woollcott back from WWI. The original members were, amongst others, poet and screenwriter Dorothy Parker (known for her wit and love of Martinis), humorist and actor Robert Benchley, critic and journalist Woollcott, actor Harpo Marx and publicist John Peter Toohey. The lunches were so successful they ended up having lunch every weekday for 10 years. Apart from the founders of the group, that is more often called The Algonquin Round Table, additional members like actor Tallulah Bankhead, designer Norman Bel Geddes and playwright Noël Coward that came and went.

The hotel never was called “The Puritan” but Frank Case was also a believer in temperance and the hotel was dry even before prohibition. It’s hard to believe that his view on alcohol made much difference for the mischievous crowd at the Round Table though. The Algonquin cocktail was probably created during the time of the Round Table and first appeared in print in 1935. But who created it, no one knows.

The silver cocktail cup was designed by Danish designer Erik Magnussen in 1928.

The Algonquin
2 parts Rye Whiskey
1 part Dry Vermouth
1 part Pineapple juice

Shake with ice and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a Maraschino cherry.

Enjoy!

The Classic Swedish Fika

Swedes are famous for many things. Ikea, Abba, smorgasbord and herring to name a few. Almost as well known, and totally irresistible, is the Swedish Fika, a coffee or tea break with friends, family, colleagues or just by yourself. A time to pause, chat, reflect, and to eat something sweet. Traditionally you had seven different types of cake, cookies and buns with your fika but now you usually settle with less. This new series of prints is a celebration of this relaxing tradition. All of the pastries are as Swedish as the term fika itself.

When you buy a print we’ll make sure to include a recipe of the pastry so that you can get the full fika experience.

Enjoy!

Drink Like the Rat Pack

This favorite cocktail of the Rat Pack first appeared in 1937 at a British Industries Fair in New York. The Rusty Nail is a blend of Scotch Whisky and Drambuie (a liqueur made fromScotch Whisky, herbs, spices and honey). The original cocktail was called B.I.F. but soon after the fair it was forgotten, reappearing in NYC in the 1950s as the Rusty Nail and becoming the most popular cocktail around.

There are several different stories as to how the name came about. One is that it came from the rusty nails on the wooden crates of Drambuie. Another that it was a bartender using a nail as a swizzle stick. In all likelihood it has more to do with the color of the blend of Drambuie and Scotch.

The Drambuie liqueur was launched in 1910 but the idea of this blend of Scotch, herbs and honey dates back to the 1745 when the Scottish Prince Charles Edward Stuartcame back to the British Isles after an exile in Rome. Returning to his homeland to try to reclaim the British throne for his father he brought his liqueur recipe with him. His enterprise did not however work according to plan and being defeated in a battle in 1746 the prince had to flee to The Isle of Skye where the Clan MacKinnon helped him escape the British Isles for good.

To thank the MacKinnons the Prince gave the clan leader John MacKinnon the secret liqueur recipe where it has been treasured for generations. 100 years later the MacKinnons were persuaded by John Ross, a hotelier at the Broadford Hotel on Skye, to make a batch for his local customers. They liked it so much they called it “the drink that satisfies” or “an dram buidheach” in Gaelic. Changing the name to something a little easier to pronounce John Ross’s son James patented the name Drambuie in 1893 and in 1909 James’s widow Eleanor started producing the liqueur together with Malcolm MacKinnon.

The glass was designed by Finnish designer Anu Penttinen for Marimekko in 2010 and is called Sukat Makkaralla meaning “Socks rolled down”.

Rusty Nail
2 parts Scotch Whisky
1 part Drambuie
1 Lemon twist

Stir ingredients with ice. Strain into chilled glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

Enjoy it like you’re Dean Martin.

The Collins Family

The history of Tom Collins might have started as a practical joke. Tom was supposed to be a load and burly man who sat in taverns in New York in the late 1800s badmouthing people. The victims were told by their friends about Mr Collins trying to slander them and were encouraged to find him. However, when going to the tavern asking the bartender for the non existent Tom Collins, they would instead receive the sour cocktail. The prank became known as The Great Tom Collins Hoax of 1874.

This is probably just a good story though. More likely is that the Tom Collins started out as a John Collins, named after the head waiter at Limmer’s Hotel on Conduit Street in London where he worked during the 1870s and 80s. Limmer’s was famous from the early 1800s for being a buzzing place with great drinks. They were especially known fo their gin punch, essentially being the same thing as a Tom Collins. Originally Jenevera.k.a Holland Gin was used in the cocktail but when the customers started preferring the sweeter Old Tom Gin the theory is that they started asking for a Tom Collins rather than a John Collins.

After John and Tom there is now a whole family of Collins’s. Captain Collins (with Canadian Whisky), Colonel Collins (with Bourbon), Jack Collins (with Calvados), Sandy Collins (with Scotch), Joe Collins (with Vodka), Mike Collins (with Irish Whiskey), Pedro Collins (with Light Rum), Pepito Collins (with Tequila) and Pierre Collins (with Cognac).

The glass was designed in 1964 by the two brothers Pier Giacomo and Achille Castiglione and is called Splügen.

Tom Collins
2 parts Old Tom Gin
1 part Lemon juice
1/2 part Sugar syrup
1 1/2 part Club soda

Shake all but club soda and strain into ice filled glass. Garnish with a lemon wedge and a Maraschino cherry.

Enjoy!

Standing With Ukraine

We have all seen the horrific events in, and the destruction of, Ukraine during the unprovoked and unjustified attack on the country. In the series of maps of world countries mobilità has made a map of Ukraine. To help the Ukrainian people all proceeds from the sales of the map will go to humanitarian aid through the Red Cross and UNHCR.

Thank you for Standing With Ukraine!

Sacré Bleu

Known for high fashion, perfume, croissants, the riviera, artists, Paris, the Eiffel Tower, fine cuisine, wine, cheese and of course champagne. France is the third largest country in Europe.

It was first settled by Greeks and Celts around 700 BCE and the oldest city of France is Marseille from 600 BCE.

In ancient times France was a part of a Celtic region called Gaul or Gallia (think Asterix) but it was conquered by Julius Caesar in 58-51 BCE and was governed by the Roman Empire until Rome couldn’t hold off the Germanic Franks in the 5th century. The name France is taken from the Latin name for the Franks.

In 987 Hugh Capet became King of West Francia. This kingdom expanded territorially and became closer to the France of today. The death of the last king in the line of succession led to the 100 Year War featuring a young peasant girl called Jeanne d’Arc leading the troops to victory.

France stayed a monarchy until the French Revolution in 1789 when Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette and many others were famously guillotined. The French Revolution was the start of the 1st Republic. Soon after this Napoleon Bonaparte rose to power and proclaimed himself Emperor and tried to take over Europe. After being defeated in Waterloo and sent to prison there was another king taking his place but after being toppled the 2nd Republic started in 1848. Only four years in comes Napoleon III, restoring the monarchy yet again and keeping it until 1871 when the 3rd Republic starts. After WWII but without the resurrection of the monarchy in between the 4th Republic started in 1947 and the final 5th Republic started with Charles de Gaulle in 1959.

Apart from mainland and Corsica, France has six so called overseas departments, for instance Guadeloupe, Martinique and Reunion. It also has smaller colonies called overseas territories like French Polynesia and New Caledonia.

Taking a Voo Car-Ray For a Spin

Just like the Hurricane, the Sazerac and the Grasshopper, the Vieux Carré was created in the Big Easy, New Orleans. The name is French for “old square” or “old quarter” being the original name of the New Orleans’s French Quarter but when ordering one in the city of its creation the pronunciation isn’t remotely French. The Creole way of pronouncing it is “Voo car-ray”.

The cocktail was invented in the mid to late 1930s by Walter Bergeron, head bartender at the Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone. (Mr Bergeron is not related to his namesake Victor Bergeron aka Trader Vic). The Hotel Monteleone opened in 1886 when a Sicilian nobleman, Antonio Monteleone, bought the hotel after having settled down in New Orleans in the early 1880s. After five generations the hotel still remains in the family.

The Carousel Bar as you find it today was installed in 1949 and is decorated with paintings of circus animals and is lit up just like a real carousel. But it wouldn’t be a carousel bar if it didn’t twirl so it is rotating but at the smooth pace of 15 minutes per revolution.

The glass called Ovio was designed by Achille Castiglioni in 1983.

Vieux Carré

1 part Rye Whiskey
1 part Red Vermouth
1 part Cognac
1/2 part Bénédictine
2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
2 dashes Angustura bitters
1 Maraschino cherry or 1 lemon twist

Stir ingredients with ice. Strain into chilled glass. Garnish with a Maraschino cherry of a lemon twist.

Enjoy the ride!