Our toast to the Pennytentiary takes us back in time to New York City, at the Hotel Pierre where maître d’ “bar” and celebrated showman Oscar Haimo mixed drinks for celebrities and guests.  Haimo apprenticed in Paris at The Ritz hotel in the thirties before settling in New York, where he championed the post-prohibition cocktail era, formed the International Bar Manager’s Association, and penned one of the “bartender’s bibles” of the times, his Cocktail and Wine Digest compendium, first published in 1943.

The best luck of all is the luck you make for yourself. - Douglas MacArthur

Haimo’s cocktail claim to fame was a drink he invented during the war which he named the “General MacArthur”. His drink was quite popular at the time thanks to his stature and clever marketing. The mixture of Bacardi rum, Jamaican rum, Triple Sec (or Cointreau), lime and egg white is a familiarly delicious formula reminiscent of a margarita or daiquiri, and it’s not hard to understand why it was a hit. Period gossip columnist Walter Winchell described the MacArthur "as zingy as its name", which may be the first time I have imagined Douglas MacArthur as “zingy”. The innovative and brilliant commander of the Pacific during World War II helped liberate the world from oppression and tyranny. I’ll drink to that. Cheers!

MacArthur by Oscar Haimo c. 1943

1 ½ oz Bacardi rum

3 dashes Jamaican rum

¾ oz Triple Sec or Cointreau

Juice of half lime

1 dash egg white

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a favorite glass. Prison bars lime wheel garnish, optional.

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