Skip to content
The Historic New Orleans Collection
A detailed, artistic map titled French Quarter, Vieux Carré. Central circular calendar surrounded by historical illustrations of buildings, street scenes, and events in the French Quarter, framed with decorative borders and figures.

The How, When, and Where of Discriminating and Enjoyable Drinking

1931; poster
by Collins C. Diboll Jr., designer
2007.0084.2

This poster is a reprint of a famous chart outlining everything needed to mix the perfect drink for any time of day. Collins C. Diboll Jr., a prominent New Orleans architect and businessman, designed the chart in 1931, during Prohibition. Diboll graduated from the Tulane School of Architecture in 1926, where he was remembered as a jovial and energetic young man. One biographical sketch described “his love of good food, good friends, and good times,” and his verve certainly was not discouraged by the 18th Amendment. Diboll gave reprints of the charts to his friends over the years and would even frame them under glass trays on which drinks were to be served. 

A detailed, artistic map titled French Quarter, Vieux Carré. Central circular calendar surrounded by historical illustrations of buildings, street scenes, and events in the French Quarter, framed with decorative borders and figures.

Drawing from his architecture studies, the chart resembles a blueprint, with lines radiating out from the center of a circle in equidistant sections, each of which details the proper ingredients, mixing techniques, glassware, and time of day to make and enjoy a particular drink. If you were in the mood for an Old Fashioned, for example, you’d consult the section titled “Allons au Diable” (an idiom meaning “for the hell of it”). There, a recipe, accompanied by pictures, calls for “[one cube] sugar, [four dashes] bitters, 1 oz whiskey ~ rye or bourbon, 1 lump ice, orange peel and cherry; Serve very cold.” You could then consult the outer edges of the chart for toasts and witticisms about wine and cocktails: “He who drinks a glass a day, will live to die some other way.” A banner bordering the chart depicts people at parties, chefs in kitchens, and various other scenes of enjoyment culture. In the background are well-known emporiums of fine tipple: the Absinthe House Bar, Café de L’Opéra (the French Opera House), the Sazerac Bar, and Henry Ramos’s Imperial Saloon. So the next time the inspiration for a fine cocktail strikes, simply consult Diboll’s chart to find the perfect drink for any occasion. 

May 14, 2020

Related Stories

View More
First Draft

“The Downtown Club with Uptown Ideas”

First Draft

Wine Jelly, the 1885 Version of Jell-O Shots

Related Collection Highlights

View More
A smiling woman with curly hair poses in a white outfit and heels. Text reads Chris Owens: Electrifying One Woman Show.

Chris Owens Collection

Maracas and more from the queen of Bourbon Street

Colorful vintage poster titled Always for Pleasure features a person in an elaborate costume with feathers and intricate detailing. The person is smiling broadly and surrounded by bold, stylized text and artistic embellishments.

Vintage Tipitina’s Posters

HNOC cataloger Emily Perkins picks her favorites from the Tipitina’s posters in the Michael P. Smith Collection.

A pamphlet for Poodle's Patio advertises a dancer named Galatea, featuring a photograph of her standing like a statue followed by the text "The Statue that Comes to Life".

Poodle’s Patio Pamphlet

During the golden age of Bourbon Street burlesque, Poodle’s Patio featured performers such as Galatea and Jezebel.

Related Books

View More
Books

Guidebooks to Sin: The Blue Books of Storyville, New Orleans

Book cover for Guidebooks to Sin by Pamela D. Arceneaux. Features an outline of a woman in blue and red, with images of vintage blue books above the title. Subtext includes a foreword by Emily Epstein Landau.
Stay Connected

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

1959 210 o6 2024 06 05 202329 tavg