MCELHONE, Harry and Wynn (Arthur MOSS). Barflies and Cocktails, Over 300 Cocktail Receipts by Harry and Wynn with slight contributions by Arthur Moss [SIGNED]. Paris: Lecram Press, (1927).

First Edition. Small octavo, original illustrated boards, 110 pages, illustrated. A very uncommon cocktail collection with only four library holdings found on WorldCat. Mcelhone was a defining figure in early 20th-century bartending, most famous for his role at Harry's New York Bar (in Paris), which he bought in 1923. He worked at Ciro's Club in Deauville and the Plaza Hotel New York. He is often credited with inventing many cocktails, including the Bloody Mary, Sidecar, the Monkey Gland, the White Lady, and an early form of the French 75. "Barflies and Cocktails conveys a whiskey-addled sense of zany humor that seems tied to the Roaring Twenties, when the book was first published. The running conceit of the book has to do with the fictional association of International Bar Flies, the rules of which include the admonition that, “Those seeing cerise cats with purple ears should keep it to themselves.” [Peter Meehan. New York Times, 2008] This copy inscribed at title page "Best wishes / Harry". I can not locate another McElhone signature to compare this inscription to, but we have no reason to believe its not authentic. A Good copy, lacks last leaf (111/112) which is an ad for The Boulevardier and photo illustration of Harry's Bar, cracked at front hinge (likely repairable), some lower page corners a bit dog-eared.

Price: $3,000.00