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Jeremiah 'Jerry' P. Thomas (October 30, 1830 – December 15, 1885) was an Americanbartender who owned and operated saloons in New York City. Because of his pioneering work in popularizing cocktails across the United States as well, he is considered 'the father of American mixology'.^[1] In addition to writing the seminal work on cocktails, Bar-Tender's Guide, Thomas displayed creativity and showmanship while preparing drinks and established the image of the bartender as a creative professional.^[2] As such, he was often nicknamed 'Professor' Jerry Thomas.

Early life, education and work[edit]

Thomas was born about 1830 in Sackets Harbor, New York. (His 1885 obituary in the New York Times said 1832.)^[2][3] As a young man, he learned bartending in New Haven, Connecticut before sailing for California during its mid-19th century Gold Rush.^[4] While in California, Thomas worked as a bartender, gold prospector and minstrel show manager.^[2] According to his 1885 obituary, he was left some money by his father, which helped in these travels.^[3]

Saloon keeper and bartender[edit]

Thomas moved back to the East Coast in 1851, settling in New York City. He opened a saloon below Barnum's American Museum; it would be the first of four saloons he would run in New York City over his lifetime. After running this first bar, Thomas went on the road for several years, working as the head bartender at hotels and saloons in St. Louis, Missouri; Chicago, Illinois; San Francisco, California; Charleston, South Carolina; and New Orleans, Louisiana. At one point he toured Europe, carrying along a set of solid-silver bar tools.^[4] He was well known for his showmanship as a bartender: he developed elaborate and flashy techniques of mixing cocktails, sometimes while juggling bottles, cups and mixers. He often wore flashy jewelry and had his bar tools and cups embellished with precious stones and metals. At the Occidental Hotel in San Francisco, Thomas was earning $100 a week—more than the Vice President of the United States.^[2]

Bar-Tender's Guide[edit]

In 1862, Thomas finished Bar-Tender's Guide (alternately titled How to Mix Drinks or The Bon-Vivant's Companion), the first drink book ever published in the United States. The book collected and codified what was then an oral tradition of recipes from the early days of cocktails, including some of his own creations; the guide laid down the principles for formulating mixed drinks of all categories. He would update it several times in his lifetime to include new drinks that he discovered or created.^[2][5] The first edition of the guide included the first written recipes of such cocktails as the Brandy Daisy, Fizz, Flip, Sour and variations of the earliest form of mixed drink, Punch. The 1876 edition included the first written recipe for the Tom Collins,^[6][7] which appeared just after The Tom Collins Hoax of 1874.^[6][7][8]

San Francisco & the Blue Blazer[edit]

Thomas developed his signature drink, the Blue Blazer, at the El Dorado gambling saloon in San Francisco.^[9] The drink is made by lighting whiskey afire and passing it back and forth between two mixing glasses, creating an arc of flame.^[2][10] Thomas continued to develop new drinks throughout his life.^[3] His mixing of the 'Martinez', which recipe was published in the 1887 edition of his guide, has sometimes been viewed as a precursor to the modern martini.^[2] Thomas claimed to have invented the Tom and Jerry and did much to popularize it in the United States; however, the history of the drink predated him.^[3]

In New York City[edit]

Upon returning to New York City, he became head bartender at the Metropolitan hotel. In 1866 he opened his own bar again, on Broadway between 21st and 22nd Streets, which became his most famous establishment.^[4] Thomas was one of the first to display the drawings of Thomas Nast. In his saloon he hung Nast's caricatures of the political and theatrical figures; one notable drawing, now lost, was of Thomas 'in nine tippling postures colossally.' The saloon included funhouse mirrors. This historic bar has been adapted for use as a Restoration Hardware store.^[2]

Thomas was an active man about town, a flashy dresser who was fond of kid gloves and his gold Parisian watch. He enjoyed going to bare-knuckleprize fights, and was an art collector. He enjoyed traveling. By middle age he was married and had two daughters. Always a good sport, at 205 pounds he was one of the lighter members of the Fat Men's Association.^[2] He had a side interest in gourds; at one point in the late 1870s, Thomas served as president of The Gourd Club after producing the largest specimen.^[11]

Later years and death[edit]

Toward the end of his life, Thomas tried speculating on Wall Street, but bad judgments rendered him broke. He had to sell his successful saloon and auction off his considerable art collection; he tried opening a new bar but was unable to maintain the level of popularity as his more famous location.^[3] He died in New York City of a stroke (apoplexy) in 1885 at the age of 55.^[4] His death was marked by substantial obituaries across the United States.^[2]The New York Times obituary noted that Thomas was 'at one time better known to club men and men about town than any other bartender in this city, and he was very popular among all classes.'^[3] He is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York City.

Bibliography[edit]

Thomas is known to have authored two books: How to Mix Drinks, or The Bon-Vivant's Companion (originally published in 1862, with new and updated editions in 1876, and again posthumously in 1887) and Portrait Gallery of Distinguished Bar-Keepers (originally published in 1867 and considered a lost book).

The titles of the books are organized by their outside cover titles / inside cover titles.

• How to Mix Drinks / How to Mix Drinks, or The Bon-Vivant's Companion (Dick & Fitzgerald Publishers, 1862)
• Portrait Gallery of Distinguished Bar-Keepers (1867)
• How to Mix Drinks (1876)
• Jerry Thomas' Bar-Tenders Guide / The Bar-Tender's Guide, or How to Mix All Kinds of Plain and Fancy Drinks - An Entirely New and Enlarged Edition (Fitzgerald Publishing Corporation, 1887)

Legacy and honors[edit]

• March 2003, a tribute was held for Jerry Thomas at the Oak Room at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, where bartenders gathered to make the many cocktails published in his books. The event was organized by David Wondrich, author of Esquire Drinks and a later biography of Thomas, and Slow Food, the organization devoted to traditional preparations of food.
• Thomas is featured in the Museum of the American Cocktail, founded in 2004^[12] and housed with the Southern Food and Beverage Museum in New Orleans.^[13]
• Cocktail writer David Wondrich has written a book about Jerry Thomas entitled Imbibe!: From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to 'Professor' Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar. The book includes an extensively researched biography of Jerry Thomas, as well as the majority of Thomas' cocktails, taken directly from his books and adapted to modern-day measurement methods (ie: 1 ounce as opposed to 1 pony). The book was first published in 2007 and was the first cocktail book to win a James Beard Award. After years of additional research, Wondrich published a revised edition in 2015.^[14][15]
• The Jerry Thomas Speakeasy opened in Rome, Italy, is named for the bartender.^[16]

References[edit]

1. ^Pete Wells, Frost on the Sun: Summertime Cocktails, New York Times, June 21, 2006.
2. ^ ^abcdefghijWilliam Grimes, The Bartender Who Started It All, New York Times, October 31, 2007.
3. ^ ^abcdefIN AND ABOUT THE CITY; 'A NOTED SALOON KEEPER DEAD.', New York Times, 16 December 1885. Note: The obituary says that he was born in 1832 and was later left money by his father.
4. ^ ^abcdWilliam Grimes, CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK; 'Shaken, Stirred or Mixed, The Gilded Age Lives Again', New York Times, March 26, 2003.
5. ^John Hodgman, All Shaken Up, New York Times, October 17, 2004.
6. ^ ^abDifford, Simon (2008). Cocktails: Over 2250 Cocktails. diffordsguide. p. 351. ISBN0-9556276-0-5. Retrieved November 25, 2008.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
7. ^ ^abSinclair, George (March 26, 2007). 'The Great Tom Collins Hoax'. Scribd. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
8. ^Walsh, William S. (1892). Handy-Book of Literary Curiosities. p. 450. Retrieved November 25, 2008. Have you seen Tom Collins.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
9. ^This notion is being challenged since no contemporary (to Jerry Thomas) historical evidence, or other, exists that proves or hints that Thomas was in San Francisco during the Gold Rush. Guillermo Toro-Lira. “El Dorado’s Jerry Thomas Mystery Explained”, December 30, 2010. Re-published and retrieved on April 18, 2020.
10. ^Recipe: 'Blue Blazer', New York Times, October 31, 2007.
11. ^The Gourd Club, New York Times, May 10, 1878.
12. ^website
13. ^[1]
14. ^'Review: Imbibe!'. www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
15. ^Sirens, Spirit (October 3, 2017). 'Imbibe: A Book Review'. Spirit Sirens. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
16. ^https://www.thejerrythomasproject.it/en/

Further reading[edit]

• David Wondrich, Imbibe! (Perigee Books, 2007), a biography of Jerry Thomas and annotated recipe book of his drinks, by the drink correspondent for Esquire.

External links[edit]

The life of a professional bartender is the life of a celebrity, minus the fame. Parties, music, drinks, people, scandals, secrets and (of course) hangovers. Doors will open and opportunities will knock, and you’ll gain valuable contacts in many industries.

Being a good bartender is not all about knowing every popular cocktail, nor is it simply knowing about every type of spirit or liqueur and how to drink it ‘properly’. Being a good bartender is a combination of a number of things, most importantly two main factors: excellent customer service and a laser-sharp positive attitude.

It’s a benefit to know how to make drinks, match food and even throw a few cocktail shakers over your shoulder, but what’s the point if you can’t satisfy the basic needs of your number one reason for employment – the customer? Bars, pubs, wine bars, cocktail bars, sports clubs and nightclubs are strategically built and maintained for guests to forget their worries offer their mind relaxation. With this in mind, the perception of bars are dependent on the type and quality of bartender they possess – if the bartenders in a bar are below average, this will be reflected in the overall perception of a bar.

If the bartenders in a bar are excellent, offer great service and are thought leaders for their chosen niche, this will be projected onto the positioning and perception of the bar and will contribute greatly to the success of the establishment. For this reason, most of the famous and respected bars of the world pay much attention towards hiring the ‘world’s best’ bartenders (in every respect). In order to become ‘world’s best’ bartender a person must have some specific qualities in him/her that would attract the customers towards the respective bar in which he/she is working.

If you are looking for bar work and are successful in gaining a trial, or just need a few tips on how to improve your game, the following should help. Listed are a few power techniques that will increase your bartending game exponentially. You’ll make better tips, your fellow bartenders will want to work with you (instead of bitching about you – yes, it happens – I’ve seen it all before) and overall you’ll be regarded as a succinct professional. These are the tips that’ll lubricate your career advancement in the drink making game.

Bartender Tip: Move Quickly

Firstly, move quickly. Move with a sense of urgency. Move like you are on a mission, all the time. This will help you in a number of ways. Firstly, you’ll get stuff done faster. Easy. If you move from A to B faster, you can serve customers faster. And if you can serve customers faster, they’ll be happier (and you can serve more at once) which ultimately means: more tips. Easy. Secondly, if you move quickly, it keeps your manager off your back, and gives the impression you are working fast, hard and efficiently. Take a look at a good bartender the next time you are out. Chances are, he or she will be moving at a lightning pace.

Bartender Tip: Serve Two Or More Customers At Once

Serving more than one customer at once is a great trick that boosts your game on a number of levels. Firstly, it keeps your mental health in check. I know what it’s like to roll with seven deep at the bar and only you serving that section. It’s fast, and you can hold it together stylishly, but man it can get mindnumbingly repetitious. So, challenge yourself. Try and remember two or three drink orders at once. This’ll spice things up, and hey: you’ll make better tips too. People love to be ‘wowed’ and you could quite possibly impress a few using your mind tricks. You serve people faster, and you look pretty smart too. This equals tips. Everyone wins.

Bartender Tip: Help Your Fellow Bartenders Prepare Orders

A good bartender will keep his or her ear out for the drink orders of fellow bartenders. Doing this allows ‘joint order preparation’ – if you are walking past the beer fridge and you hear a fellow bartender take an order for a beer, grab that beer for them. Do this for any product you are near. Or, if you are between orders and you hear a fellow bartender take an order for something, instantly help them prepare that order. To summarize, take orders as a team. It looks great from a customer perspective. It also reinforces and boosts morale, and hey, you could even make some good drinking mates out of the process (after work, of course…).

Bartender Tip: Have Manners

Good manners is a basic quality that fewer and fewer people possess nowadays. I’ve seen far too many extremely skilled bartenders who screw things up by being rude and cocky. What’s the point, man? Why are you even working here if you are going to piss customers off? So: a powerful bartender will be the combination of skill and expertise coupled with immaculate, proper manners. Trust me – this’ll greatly swell your tip jar before the night is through. Remember, there is no excuse for poor manners, but when you use them, you earn a great deal of respect (and… tips). Having great manners will get you far – impressing the right person with your manners and etiquette could open a door of opportunity you didn’t think existed. You’ll know what I mean when this happens to you.

Bartender Tip: Become The Walking Encyclopaedia Of Alcohol

Knowing the products in your game is an extremely important skill to have. Firstly, knowing your products will help you upsell – when you upsell correctly, it generally increases the total bill amount – and this means your chances of a greater tip increase. Becoming an unofficial encyclopedia of alcoholic (and non-alcoholic) products in the industry also earns you a heap of respect from your peers. They’ll come to you for questions about certain little things. I hear you ask: How do I become this encyclopedia you speak of? There are a few ways:

• If you can, try a new product every day.
• Find a spirit type or product you are passionate about. Research it as much as possible. This’ll fuel other new passions.
• Read as much as you can. Read books and blogs.
• Visit breweries, distilleries, and wineries.
• Visit premium cellars and speak to the staff there. Ask them were they learn new stuff.

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Bartender Tip: Be A Team Player

Be a total team player. Be the person that motivates the team. No, this isn’t just the manager’s role – by motivating a team you earn a truckload of respect. And most people see this respect you earn.

Bartender Tip: Be Fast At Cleaning Up

Be fast at cleaning any mess up. If you make a cocktail, clean up your tools immediately. If you spill something, clean it up immediately. No one likes working with a bartender who is messy and obviously doesn’t take pride in their work or work ethic. Clean your mess up, quickly. Enough said.

Bartender Tip: Exceed Expectations

A powerful bartender will exceed expectations in almost task or challenge they are presented with. If a customer asks for directions, a good bartender will go out of their way to make sure the customer knows exactly where to head to reach their destination. If a customer asks for a cocktail that tastes nice, a powerful bartender will ask a few pivotal questions and produce the greatest cocktail the customer thinks they have ever had. If you exceed customer expectations, your customers will say ‘wow’. And when they say wow, they’ll tip. Plain and simple. Go out of your way to exceed expectations. Doing this will produce a good rep for yourself, you’ll feel confident in your work (and your tip jar will look niiiiice and healthy).

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Bartender Tip: Have A Positive Personality

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Lastly, have a positive personality. Don’t be doom and gloom, don’t be nervous about anything and don’t be the negative nancy. Be positive! Be positive if you are unsure about a situation. Be positive in the face of adversity. Stay positive even if you have just run out of ice, you are a bartender down, you cut your finger with a paring knife and your manager is in a terrible mood. Because really, the situation can go either way. You can be negative and gloomy, and trudge through. But trust me, your customers will see your bad mood; and this will not be good for your tip jar nor will it be good for the business. Alternatively, you can remain positive, motivate your fellow (remaining) bartenders towards fixing the situation and eventually get through the bad spell probably making more tips in the process. Positivity breeds positivity.