Once More Behind Bar, "Baldy" Guindon Calls Prohibition Nation's "Worst Evil"--Now Happy

"I had to wait 13 years, but now I am back at my old job," gaily remarked George "Baldy" Guindon, as he carefully poured out the ingredients of a potent Dry Martini intended for a certain parched throat. George is again tending bar at the Parker House Hotel, where 35 years ago he obtained a job as an assistant bartender.

"Prohibition is the worst curse that was ever inflicted upon this country," continued this experienced mixer of drinks. "It had a degrading effect upon everyone. Take my case, for example; I was forced during the plague of prohibition to content myself with the mixing of soft drinks and the dishing out of ice cream. But I haven't forgotten how to mix a single drink, not a one. Off hand, I should say that the Martini and Bronx cocktail are about the most popular drinks thus far, but the majority of the drinking public, on the whole, are sampling the various concoctions to see what happens to their palates.

"There is one thing about the bartending business; you get to know the best people, and intimately too. Why I heard the troubles and woos of half the prominent men in Massachusetts. Some of them even come to me for advice and I gladly give it to them when I can. Their questions range all the way from what to feed a sick parrot, to what to tell their frantic wives when they arrive home.

"I think in a short time, after people have accustomed themselves again to drinking, it will be carried on in a sane manner just as it used to be in the old days when one drank for enjoyment. Because their sense of taste has been so dulled by the horrible bootleg liquor, it will take some time for them to be able to appreciate good liquor, such as three star Henesee cognac.

"It was 40 years ago that I embarked on my career of mixing. A Boston saloon offered me my first opportunity along those lines. After a brief stay there, I obtained a job in Detroit, Michigan, where I remained for several years. In 1898 I came to the Parker House and I have been here ever since. Back in the '90s, two cocktails cost a quarter and a quart of the best whiskey sold for .75. The present-day prices, although not as cheap as that, are still reasonable. The cocktails cost as follows: Martini .25, Manhattan .30, Bronx .25, Clover Club .35, Old Fashioned .35, Orange Blossom .30, Champagne .75; the prices of the punches and miscellaneous mixed drink.; Planters Punch .45, Claret Punch .35, Brandy Egg Nogg .50, Tom Collins .35, Gin Rickey .25, Ward "8" .45. The fizzes and sours range from .30 to .45, and the highballs from .35 to .50.