Letterpress: 10 Little Cocktails

First off, happy national cocktail day! I wanted to make sure to get this post out in time to “celebrate.” When I visited Amsterdam in 2018, I went to a perfect cocktail bar called Tales & Spirits. The bartenders there were not only hospitable, but incredibly skilled. Their menu was extensive with quirky drink names & outrageous presentations. The last page of their menu had the poem “Ten Little Cocktails” written out with modifications to coordinate with their drinks. I loved the poem so when I got back to the states, I looked it up.

It was originally published in 1919 in a book titled “The Rocking Horse” by Christopher Morley. Since the work was public domain, I knew I had to print it. Like the bar, I tweaked three words in the poem to better relate to a wider audience. I also had to modify the symbols used for cursing in the last stanza based on available characters. Here is the text I used:

One little cocktail between me and you--
You said: "Another one?" Then there were two.

Two little cocktails, jolly as could be:
Along came a friend, and then there were three.

Three little cocktails--"I never take more."
But you insisted, and then there were four.

My head began to spin and buzz like a hive,
But no one would weaken, and so there were five.

Five little cocktails, guaranteed to mix--
"Let's try some liquor"--and then there were six.

Six little cocktails feel just like heaven.
"One more to sober up"--and that made seven.

Seven little cocktails--it must be getting late.
"This one's on me," --and then there were eight.

Eight little cocktails dancing down your spine . . .
"Bad luck to quit now," and so there were nine.

Nine little cocktails soon become ten--
!! ... ??? (( §§§ & £ & ¢ ¢ )) --- !!
Ring for the ambulance--Never Again!

Setting this poem took some time. I only worked on it occasionally after cleaning or when my students didn’t need me, and then I ran out of “e’s” and had to wait till they were available. There’s also a tiny error in the first run that I am sorting out now. The typeface, Bernhard Modern, was made in 1937 (18 years after the poem was written) by the American Type Foundry. I love the elongated stems of letters.

My favorite line in the poem is “Six little cocktails feel just like heaven. ‘One more to sober up’– & that made seven.” It’s just an enjoyable story and kinda reminds me of the song “Monkeys on the Bed,” but for adults.

I printed the first round of poems on 5.5 x8.5 inch cotton paper. The poem itself fits in a 5x7 space but I wanted some extra breathing room and I had the trimmed paper ready to go.

The same day, I also printed some on leftover faux suede paper. This paper is thinner than the cotton but has a beautiful muted texture. I was hoping to try and wrap some around bottles. This paper was already cut to 5x7 inches.

I only made 10 copies of the white paper, so I plan on making a few more at the 5x7 size before redistributing all the type back home.

Pick up a copy over at my Etsy shop. Here’s a link to the larger white ones and the smaller faux suede ones.