March 10, 2009
Keens pours fire for a Pre-Prohibition cocktail party
NewYorkology contributor Vidiot commits journalism by night, edits Cocktailians and explores NYC by day. He’s especially interested in the infrastructure, transit, architectural wonders, drinking establishments, and hidden corners of the greatest city in the world.
On Friday evening the Zagat Vintage Dinner Series turned into the Vintage Drinks Series for a “Pre-Prohibition Cocktail Party” at Keens Steakhouse on West 36th Street.
 As Tim Zagat told NewYorkology, Keens was the natural place to hold such an event, since the restaurant itself has been operating since 1885.
Keens is probably best known for its pipes: the restaurant boasts a collection of more than 90,000 clay churchwarden pipes, which adorn the walls and ceiling of the dining rooms. When a patron would join the restaurant’s pipe club “Keens’ Illustrious Clays”, he or she bought a pipe for his or her exclusive use.
Because the pipes are fragile, Keens stores the pipe for the patron under the care of a “pipe warden”, and “pipe boys” who fetch the patron’s pipe when they arrive at the restaurant. The lobby features a display of famous patrons’ pipes, including those used by Will Rogers, Stanford White, Rube Goldberg, and “Buffalo Bill” Cody.
When a pipe club member passed away, his friends would often gather and ceremoniously break the pipe’s stem so it couldn’t be used again. Even in these post-smoking-ban times, Keens sells the clay pipes; general manager Bonnie Jenkins told NewYorkology that occasionally members or their family will request a particular pipe, sending her into the dusty pipe storage room with a flashlight to locate it.
The Zagat event was held in the Lincoln Room (full of Lincoln memorabilia and ephemera, most notably the Ford’s Theater program President Lincoln was allegedly holding when he was shot) and the Lambs Room (which features an Alexander Pope painting of a tiger and memorabilia from the Lambs theatrical club, whose space Keens took over in 1885.)
Keens is also home to the Bull Moose Room:
While Keens served up a recreation of the 19th-century saloon’s free lunch (with veal tongue, venison, and smoked salmon) and its famous mutton chops and smoked fillet, bartenders offered several Pre-Prohibition cocktails. The drinks included the USS Richmond Punch, named for (and served on) the warship that captured New Orleans in 1862, the Morning Glory Fizz, a Scotch-based breakfast drink, and an Italian Wine Lemonade with a float of Port.
 Cocktail historian David Wondrich told NewYorkology that the Improved Holland Gin Cocktail, one of the cocktails served at the event, had a particular connection to New York. “We were a Dutch city, and this cocktail uses Dutch gin”, he observed. Genever, also known as the “Holland Gin” of the cocktail’s name, is a Dutch style of gin made from a maltwine of fermented grains that’s then flavored with herbs and other botanicals. It’s very different from the London Dry style that’s much more common now. The first bartending book published in the United States, Jerry Thomas’ 1862 “Bar-Tender’s Guide”, used genever as just one of four base spirits throughout the book.
The evening concluded with the Blue Blazer, Jerry Thomas’s signature drink. Made by Wondrich, “King Cocktail” Dale DeGroff, Andy Seymour, and Steve Olson, the Blue Blazer is a hot Scotch toddy made by pouring flaming Scotch from hand to hand in silver mugs.
The Vintage Dinner Series continues through the end of the month, and Keens also has a series of spirits tasting events with spirits maven F. Paul Pacult through June.
Read more about the Keens event at Cocktailians.
Picture credits: Vidiot.
Illustration credit: Jerry Thomas’ 1862 “Bar-Tender’s Guide” via Google Books.
Earlier: ‘The City on a Still’ celebrates Prohibition’s repeal
High in the Sky cocktails at Roosevelt Hotel’s mad46
High in the Sky: Empire Hotel’s rooftop cocktail bar
March 10, 2009 10:58 AM in Architecture, Drinkology, Foodology, History, Midtown
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