A bumper of good liquor

I have a small amount of old cocktail books which I skim through on a regular basis. In the books there is a trend to put quotes and small poems which in some way relate to drink. So on this post Im going to cover just a few of them. Ok so ages back I posted these to my facebook group. I thought it might be interesting as I know all you cocktail geeks out there would have come across a few of them from time to time! Most of the poems are selected at random from books by Ted Sauciers "Bottoms Up", Charles H Barker Jr "The Gentlemans Companion",Stanley Crisby Arthur "New Orleans Drinks And How To Mix Them", Anton Massel and Hugh Barty-King  "Rum, Yesterday and Today",
I have some new ones which I have added from a new batch of cocktail books I bought from Greg at Cocktail Kingdom

A bumper of good liquor
Will end a contest quicker

Then justice, judge or vicar.
              Richard Brainsley Sheridan

Ah, brief is Life,
Love's short and sweet way,
With dreaming rife,
And then -Good day!

And Life is vain
Hopes vauge delight,
Griefs transient pain,
And then- Good night
            Louise Chandler Moulton

Shake or stir it, long or short
With sugar,lemon, spice
Toddy, grog or planters punch
With bitters, juice and ice

Mix it hot or mix it cold,
And shake till kingdom come,
What makes the mix distinctive
Is being made with rum!
               Unkown


"From fam'd Barbadoes on the western Main
Fetch sugar, ounces four-fetch Sack from Spain,
A pint,-and from the Eastern Indian Coast
Nutmeg, the glory of our notheren Toast:
O'er flaming Coals let them tougher the heat
Till the all-conquering Sack dissolves the sweet;
O'er such another Fire put Eggs, just ten,
New-Born from tread of Cock and Rump of hen:
Stir them with a steady hand and conscience Pricking
To see the untimely end of ten fine Chicken;
From shining shelf take down the brazen skillet,-
A quart of milk from a gentle cow will fill it.
When boiled and cold, put milk and Sack to Egg;
Unite them firmly like the Triple league,
And on the fire let them together dwell
Till Miss sing twice-'You must not kiss and tell,-'
Each Lad and Lass take up a silver spoon,
And fall on fiercely like a starved Dragoon."
                                             Kitchiner

I found some great poems and they grace the pages of "The worlds drinks and how to mix them" Bill Boothby 1908. They apear under the chapter "Witty, wise and otherwise"

The profession of mixolgy
  is and art that's being lost
That's why this treatise is published,
  Quite regardless of the cost.
Regardless, too, of other things,
  For facts one cannot smother;
But what is the gospel truth to one
  Seems hot air to another.
There'll rise occasions every day
  When it'll be up to you
To persue the pages of this work
 And find things that you should do

IF YOUR CHRISTIAN NAME IS COHEN.

If you don't drink or care to smoke,
  Or eat free lunch and pickles;
And some old friend is treating you,
  Why!  Just take a glass of nickles.
                             James Montgomery Flagg
I'm not sure if this is two separate poems, this is how it reads in Cocktail Bill's book

The man who drinks whisky and water,
  Althought he drinks early and late,
Will live to drink whisky longer
  Than he who drinks whisky straight.
                          Unknown

Friend of my soul, this goblet sip,
 'Twill chase a pensive tear,
'Tis not as sweet as women's lip
  But oh! 'tis more sincere;
Like her, elusive dream,
 'Twill steal away the mind,
But unlike affection's dream
 It leaves no sting behind.
                       Unknown


There is something about a Martini,
A tingle remarkably pleasant;
A yellow, a mellow Martini;
I wish that I had one at present.
There is something about a Martini,
Ere the dining and dancing begin,
And to tell you the truth,
It is not the vermouth--
I think that perhaps it's the gin.
                      Ogden Nash