Doe's Were the Days

From Chef George Krause, a new series on drinking through the decades

This spring, Chef George Krause of Doe’s Eat Place is looking back in time for menu inspiration. Specifically, he is transforming casual bar chatter into a cocktail series that moves through the history of drink, showcasing several new beverages every couple of weeks.

For the onset, Krause culled from an impossibly broad range of time: “Anywhere from the dawn of man to 1750 AD.”

He explained the loose guideline with an ease that revealed his ambition and vast stores of knowledge: “The art of drinking really started in the 1500s and 1600s with British navy. The early punches came about because of royal decree.”

To prevent scurvy, each ship was required to carry two lime trees (also the reason for the nickname “limeys”). The sailors took advantage of the onboard limes, as well as sugar, spirits (both rum and arak, an Arabic liquor), herbs, and water, to concoct alcoholic punches. “Any punch is basically this [combination of ingredients],” said Krause. “Nobody had a specific recipe.”

Over time, certain punches became known by the names of their makers. “That’s how the naming of cocktails and punches came around, because they were getting the person’s name to go with it,” said Krause.

Due to their communal nature, punches soon landed in various gentlemen’s clubs, encouraging socialization among members with small cup sizes and brimming vats of punch. “People would go for refills and meet new people.”

Krause explained that each establishment developed its own recipe. “Whoever owned the place would make the punch. They started to become known by the name of the club.”

And with that brief, but rich, history, Krause served up the Cape Fear, originating from a club in North Carolina and possibly still banned in several states due to its potency. Champagne, orange juice, citrus zest, and a few other ingredients shielded to preserve the secrecy of the recipe.

In the coming weeks of his cocktail series, as he hops forward in time, Krause will delve into the more stylized libations. “A lot of the histories that are given for the older cocktails are so muddled [pun intended] because the same drink could have been created in four places in the U.S. all within three years and given different names. They really are the same drink. They eventually all became one, but there’s not one direct story.”

Even without clear origins, Krause offers up a wealth of trivia behind his craft—and a heck of a drink too.

Details. Details. Details.

Doe’s Eat Place 
3723 Government Street 
Baton Rouge, La. 
(225) 387-5331 • doesbatonrouge.com

Starting February 17, Doe’s will be serving grog, vanilla punch, brandy punch, whiskey punch, and holland gin punch, among other soon-to-be-decided drinks.

Look for future cocktail history lessons from Krause in the coming months; and stop by Doe’s for one of these historically-accurate mixes.