Etiquette of a Popular Gilded Age Cordial

Though it was served in a wine glass full of finely shaved ice in the gilded age, as opposed to a “rocks” glass, this still looks refreshing! – The agreeable manner in which this cordial now grown so popular, is taken, makes it particularly seductive, especially to women afflicted with disordered nerves and general lack of tone and vigor. To such, the temporary effect of the alcohol is naturally agreeable, and some may even delude themselves into the belief that the drink which they find so pleasant possesses medicinal and curative properties derived from the peppermint contained in it. As in the case of many of the decoctions advertised under the name of “bitters,” it is easy to form and to accept such an agreeable inference.
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Crême de menthe, which has become a favorite after-dinner cordial with men, is lately very fashionable and popular at ladies’ dinners. Composed of nothing but a cordial sweetened and strongly flavored with peppermint, there is a grateful smoothness to it, when skillfully manufactured, as well as a penetrating warmth, at once soothing and stimulating to the stomach, which renders it attractive to many whom harsher alcoholic drinks would nauseate and disgust. 

This agreeable effect is heightened by the manner in which the cordial is taken, a liqueur glassful being poured over a wine glass full of finely-broken ice. Thoroughly cooled and also diluted in this way, the alcoholic body of the spirits is hardly perceptible to the taste or throat, while nevertheless diffusing its potency through the system. Some people doubtless find a pleasure even in the bright green color of the cordial, with the broken ice glistening through it– aesthetic individuals with an eye to the artistic, whose sensitive temperaments are open to the slightest effects.

But the agreeable manner in which this cordial now grown so popular, is taken, makes it particularly seductive, especially to women afflicted with disordered nerves and general lack of tone and vigor. To such, the temporary effect of the alcohol is naturally agreeable, and some may even delude themselves into the belief that the drink which they find so pleasant possesses medicinal and curative properties derived from the peppermint contained in it. As in the case of many of the decoctions advertised under the name of “bitters,” it is easy to form and to accept such an agreeable inference.

For some temporary disorders of the stomach or digestive apparatus a little peppermint at the right time is undoubtedly a good thing; but it can derange as well as cure, and in any event the alcohol is certain to do injury if taken frequently. Manufactured liquors of this kind are more injurious than the plain alcoholic sort, which, as all physicians are agreed, do no good to any person if persistently and regularly taken, and woman’s sensitive organization experiences such ill effects more readily than that of man. – The New York Times, 1890

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