The estimable David Wondrich has come to the defense of the faux Mencken quote, pointing to a a reference by Alistair Cooke. I am not convinced. For example, the Martini goes unmentioned in the essay about Mencken that Cooke wrote for the Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1956/05/the-last-happy-days-of-h-l-mencken/640376/. Nor is the quote to be found in Cooke's collection of Menckeniana, "The Vintage Mencken."
But even if we have in hand a solid citation from Cooke, we still lack any direct evidence. The best we could do would be to say that "According to Alistair Cooke, Mencken is said to have called the Martini etc etc..."
Always disheartening to see a cherished cocktail quote debunked. Ah, well! I visited the Mencken home in Baltimore last February, which is a museum now, though seldom visited. Fascinating place.
The estimable David Wondrich has come to the defense of the faux Mencken quote, pointing to a a reference by Alistair Cooke. I am not convinced. For example, the Martini goes unmentioned in the essay about Mencken that Cooke wrote for the Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1956/05/the-last-happy-days-of-h-l-mencken/640376/. Nor is the quote to be found in Cooke's collection of Menckeniana, "The Vintage Mencken."
But even if we have in hand a solid citation from Cooke, we still lack any direct evidence. The best we could do would be to say that "According to Alistair Cooke, Mencken is said to have called the Martini etc etc..."
cheers,
Eric
Always disheartening to see a cherished cocktail quote debunked. Ah, well! I visited the Mencken home in Baltimore last February, which is a museum now, though seldom visited. Fascinating place.