There, one may well inquire, does the drinking of wines and liquors lead its devotees? To laughter, frivolity, hilarity most certainly; to the harmless and delightful glamour and thrill with which the God Bacchus casts his magic spell upon the wise and moderate drinker, we trust.

To the neophyte who may lack the wisdom or miss the good fortune to choose and imbibe his drinks with understanding, there lurks a potential gloom-god ready to spoil what otherwise may become an extremely pleasant phase of living this life of lights and shadows.

To the neophyte this work is dedicated--for him it has been carefully and thoroughly prepared. Here also the sophisticated drinker will find an authentic guide to a broader understanding of an art to which in truth an old adage may be properly applied--"a little knowledge is a dangerous thing."

The host and hostess may follow with assurance the directions given for the creation and serving of drinks upon any and all occasions.

The combining and manipulating of nature's potent ferments in preparation for action upon the human system should not be treated as a mere matter of routine. There are lurking devils of confusion at hand ever ready to confound carelessness. One ill-chosen combination, one copy-book recipe may spoil an important social function. Mai de mer and headache may substitute for a planned happy affair.

What is a "glass," or a "jigger," or a "dash"? When mixing by the usual carelessly prepared recipes, a wrong guess at what is meant may well spoil the drink. A drachm too much or too little inevitably spoils, at least in the sense that the mixture is "just another drink" instead of hitting its mark and creating a glow of extreme satisfaction. Hotels in all parts of the world (a few) have become famous on account of their excellent drink-mixtures. And yet they purveyed largely only the traditional mixtures:--But they were mixed with understanding and care. It is from this school of experience that "Barney" Burke brings this compendious treatise on the profession to which he has given stature by his masterful practical touch. From Piccadilly to Paris; to Berlin in Germany's heyday; to. Copenhagen and back to Paris; to Park Avenue and the New America, Burke has mixed for the connoisseurs who know their drinks and never inquire how they are mixed. His best is yours in the following pages.

The Publishers.