FRANK MEIER (1884-1947) THE ARTISTRY OF MIXING DRINKS LIMITED EDITION. 1936. NUMBERED AND SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR.

Paris, Fryam Press, MCMXXXVI (1936). Copy no. CCXXXVII, one of 300 copies of the first edition, specially printed on handmade paper for Mr ‘Michel’ Jean Berio, signed ‘with my thanks / Frank Meier’. In-8°, 182 pp. softback cover with fold-over flap from the publisher, some pages uncut, pages bordered by a red frieze bearing the author’s initials, illustrations in and off text, woodcuts at the head of chapters monogrammed S.R. 'Ode to the Ritz Bar' by J. Ainsworth Th. Morgan, 1921, on page 5. The first edition of this book was published on 1 October 1936 and comprises 26 copies, numbered A to Z, printed especially for the author, as well as 300 copies on handmade paper, numbered 1 to 123 and CXXIV to CCC. Printed by Bishop & Sons, in Paris, for Fryam Press, under the direction of Mr P.A. Chavane. In English. 19.4 x 14.6 x 2.4 cm Good condition. Stains and a dog-eared corner on the back cover. This collection reveals the recipes for over 400 cocktails, including Meier’s own creations, and also contains advice on etiquette. A rare and elegant edition. Frank Meier was the resident barman, from 1921 until his death in 1947, at the ‘Hemingway Bar’ at the Ritz, the legendary cocktail bar in Paris, where he became a master of cocktails, a friend to writers and a professional who had learnt his craft in the United States. Renowned for his mixology skills, he became one of the world’s greatest bartenders of the interwar period. Several celebrities were guests at the hotel during this time, as well as at the bar run by Meier, including Ernest Hemingway, Jean Cocteau, Sacha Guitry or Scott Fitzgerald.