Bar-Vademecum › Story Cocktail

They still exist, the undiscovered mixed drinks from times past that need to be rediscovered. The Story Cocktail is definitely one of them and shows that Boonekamp Bitter, which includes Underberg, is used far too little in the bar today. Yet it was already a necessity for Harry Johnson.

40 ml Underberg
40 ml Pierre Ferrand 1840 cognac

Preparation: Stirred.

Alternatively and currently preferred by us:

40 ml Underberg
40 ml Park XO cognac

Boonekamp Bitter

In order to better understand the historical classification of the Story Cocktail, we first need to look at this bitter.

Petrus Boonekamp

Boonekamp is a bitters with an alcohol content of between 40 and 49 vol% and a maximum of 3 grams of sugar per 100 millilitres. Boonekamp originated in Leidschendam in the south of the Netherlands. There, around 1780, other sources say 1743, a pharmacist named Petrus Boonekamp produced a bitter liqueur from genever and herbs. Soon this type of liqueur spread throughout Holland and Belgium. The various recipes varied, but were collectively called Boonekamp, so that this name eventually became a generic term. ^[1] ^[7]

Underberg

Hubert Underberg from Reinberg am Rhein received his education in Holland and Belgium, got to know boonekamp there, and developed his own recipe for it. In his home town, he and his wife Katharina Albrecht founded their own company on 17 June 1846, the day of their wedding. They marketed their herbal bitters as “Boonekamp of Maagbitter”. In 1894, a law to protect trade names came into force. “Boonekamp” had become a generic term and therefore could not be protected. Therefore, the bitters were recognised as a trademark by the Imperial Patent Office as “Underberg”, and furthermore the bottle wrapped in yellow-brown straw paper. ^[1] ^[2] ^[3] ^[4] ^[5]

Underberg was already supplying Austria-Hungary in the 1860s and was finally appointed imperial and royal purveyor to the court in Austria in 1912. ^[3] But other export markets were also opened up. In May 1860 Hubert Underberg began correspondence with a Hamburg shipping company to prepare for export to the USA, and three months later the first 50 cases of Underberg were shipped to San Francisco. Underberg was also represented at the American World’s Fairs, in Philadelphia in 1876, in Chicago in 1893 and in St. Louis in 1904. During Prohibition, Underberg was no longer allowed to be sold in saloons, but since it was considered a medicine, it could be purchased in retail and wholesale. ^[6]

Due to a lack of raw materials, production was stopped in 1939 and only resumed in 1949. The well-known 20 ml bottle in which Underberg is sold today was designed by Emil Underberg I in 1949. ^[3]

Underberg is distinguished by the fact that it is made only from water, alcohol and herbal extracts. No sugar, caramel or sugar couleur is added. It is matured in barrels made of Slovenian oak. ^[4]

The Story Cocktail

Advertisement for Boonekamp by Underberg. Jerry Thomas, The Bar-Tender's Guide, 1876, 1883 edition. — Advertisement for Boonekamp by Underberg. Jerry Thomas, The Bar-Tender’s Guide, 1876, 1883 edition. ^[8]

Advertising for Underberg’s Boonekamp can already be found in the 1883 edition of Jerry Thomas’ 1876 book “The Bar-Tender’s Guide”.^[8] Harry Johnson also writes that Boonekamp Bitter is one of the necessities in a bar. ^[9-22]

But it would take until 1908 before a recipe for a mixed drink actually explicitly called for a Boonekamp. The Story Cocktail first appeared in Jacob Abraham Grohusko’s book “Jack’s Manual” in 1908.

A review of contemporary newspapers proves that numerous appealing illustrated advertisements for the “Underberg Boonekamp Bitters” appeared especially between 1905 and 1907. We have included them in the appendix, after the historical recipes, for the interested reader. They are labelled “The best bitters in the world” ^[U1] and numerous health benefits are claimed. It is offered that free sample bottles can be obtained. ^[U4] Interestingly, the ladies of society are also addressed at this time, as “society men and women know that Underberg Boonekamp Bitters is not only delicious but adds to beauty by toning up the system.” ^[U5] In 1905 it is written that more than six million bottles, at that time still large bottles, had already been imported into the United States. ^[U5] In 1906, it was even written in the New York Herald of 7 January 1906, “A most curious fad this season … is to serve a decoction of herbs in the place of a cocktail. It is said to be good for the health. This new cocktail is made in Germany.” This refers to Underberg Boonekamp Bitter. ^[U13] Underberg is “Enjoyable as a Cocktail and better for you.” ^[U14] One proclaims “A safe, delicious, beneficial, stimulating tonic is a necessity with every busy man and woman. After the worry of business, late hours, shopping or tedious travel nothing equals Underberg Boonekamp Bitters. Braces the nerves and creates a wholesome appetite.” ^[U15] It is also apparently suitable for children, as one illustration suggests. ^[U16] It is suitable for the sporty woman who paddles outdoors in a canoe or plays golf – what modern views. ^[U17] ^[U19] In 1906 the statement is made “With sherry or mixed drinks UNDERBERG is preferable to any other bitters.” ^[U26] Underberg muß erfolgreich gewesen sein, so daß es zahlreiche Nachahmer gab, und so sah man sich 1907 dazu gezwungen, zu schreiben, „VORSICHT Aufgrund der Popularität des Underberg (Boonekamp) Bitters sind viele Imitationen aufgetaucht und werden häufig irrtümlich akzeptiert. Wir sehen uns daher gezwungen, das Wort “Boonekamp” in der zukünftigen Werbung wegzulassen und alle, die das Echte wünschen, aufzufordern, nach Underberg Bitter zu fragen. Lassen Sie es bei Mischgetränken “Ein Schuss Underberg Bitters” sein.“ – „CAUTION Owing to the popularity of Underberg (Boonekamp) Bitters, many imitations have appeared and are frequently accepted in error. We are compelled, therefore, to omit the word “Boonekamp” from future advertising, and to request all who wish for the Genuine to ask for Underberg Bitters. With mixed drinks, let it be – “A dash of Underberg Bitters.”“ ^[U29]

Hesperos - Or, Travels in the West by Mrs. Houstoun, 1850. Page 13-14. — Hesperos – Or, Travels in the West by Mrs. Houstoun, 1850. Page 13-14. ^[10-13] ^[10-14]

The Story Cockytail seems unusual with its mixture of one part bitters and one part cognac, but people were drinking similar drinks long before it was created. As early as 1850, Mrs Housoun wrote about Americans on a boat trip in her book ‘Hesperos: Or, Travels in the West’: »Their ‘custom of an afternoon,’ was to prepare and drink a favourite compound, which went by the name of ‘brandy-cocktail.’ The avowed object was to stimulate their appetites for dinner, … and as it seemed to have the desired effect, I may as well add, for the benefit of other weak and delicate indiciduals, that brandy-cocktail is composed of equal quantities of ‚Stoughton bitters‘ and Cognac.« ^[10-13] ^[10-14]

Quellen

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boonekamp Boonekamp.
http://www.boonekamp.eu/Geschichte/geschichte.html Boonekamp-Portal. Die Entstehungsgeschichte des Boonekamp.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underberg Underberg.
https://www.underberg.com/produkt/underberg/ Underberg. Das Original aus Rheinberg.
https://www.underberg.com/ueber/familienunternehmen/ Underberg Familienporträt.
https://www.underberg.com/wp-content/uploads/underberg-post-26.pdf Underberg Post. Nr. 26, August 2018. Sonderausgabe USA.
http://likör-manufaktur.de/ingredienzien Ein kleines Lexikon der Zutaten.
https://euvs-vintage-cocktail-books.cld.bz/1883-The-Bar-Tenders-Guide-or-How-to-Mix-all-kinds-of-Plain-and-Fancy-Drinks-1976-edition Jerry Thomas: The Bar-Tender’s Guide; or, How to Mix All Kinds of Plain and Fancy Drinks, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States, Together with the Most Popular British, French, German, Italian, Russian, and Spanish Recipes; Embracing Punches, Juleps, Cobblers, Etc., Etc., Etc., in Endless Variety. New York, Dick & Fitzgerald, 1876. Ausgabe von 1883.
https://euvs-vintage-cocktail-books.cld.bz/1882-Harry-Johnson-s-new-and-improved-bartender-s-manual-1882/22/ Harry Johnson: New and Improved Bartender’s Manual or: How to Mix Drinks of the Present Style And Containing a Valuable List of Instructions and Hints of the Author in Reference to Attending Bar, and also a Large List of Mix-Drinks Together With a Complete List of Bar Utensils, Wines, Liquors, Ales, Mixtures, Etc. Ab Seite 77: Practisches, Neues und Verbessertes Handbuch für Barkeeper, Salon- und Hotelbesitzer, Küfer, Weinbauer, Hausfrauen etc. enthaltend practische Winke und Anweisungen für Barkeeper, vollkommen correcte Rezepte aller gemischten Getränke der gegenwärtigen Zeit, Listen sämmtlicher Bar-Artikeln und Utensilien, Regeln zur Behandlung von Liquors, Bier, Ale, Porter, Wein und Cider in Fässern sowohl als auch Flaschen, etc., etc., mit einem Anhang der Anleitung zur Erzeugung von Wein und Cider. New York, Samisch & Goldmann, 1882.
https://archive.org/details/hesperosortrave02chargoog Matilda Charlotte Houstoun: Hesperos: Or, Travels in the West. Volume 1. London, John W. Parker, 1850.