Canadian Gin Pills, 1926

…From the Hamilton Spectator (Hamilton, Ontario), 1926. Lots of Canadian content on Kitchen Retro this week, eh?

So did you think there was really GIN, as in the liquor, in these things? I did, when I first found the ad. Actually, they just had juniper in them, which is also a primary component of gin.

See here, to learn about how they were a famous remedy for kidney trouble in the 19th century in Canada. And as a bonus, they turned your urine green (probably due to methylene blue, which was often found in medicines of this era).

Let’s see your Pink Lady cocktail do that!

Bonus Recipe:

PINK LADY

2 parts Dry Gin
1 part Brandy
1 white of an Egg per cocktail
Grenadine to taste

[from Cocktails by "Jimmy" Late of Ciro's London, circa 1930]

Apparently Gin Pills had a following in other Commonwealth countries - see here for Gin Pills bottles from Tasmania.

Another Heinz Culinary Triumph

The people at H.J. Heinz in the 1930s, they were poets. Listen to this:

“A salad! - lovely name!…The very word refreshes - like suddenly coming upon a mountain spring, sweet and clear and cool. Dip deep into its beauty. Find for yourself the wonders of vegetables, fruits, golden oils and condiments when combined with an understanding touch.”

Somebody overdid a little on the martinis at lunchtime, methinks.

Anyway, they also promise that every meal can be a culinary triumph if you use their recipes. Well, I have one here that utilizes the wonders of of the butter of peanuts, and the golden beauty of the banana. Get ready for a culinary triumph beyond compare! -

BANANA AND PEANUT BUTTER SALAD

1 medium jar Heinz Peanut Butter
Bananas
Lettuce

For immediate use, select fruit which is firm but with the skin well speckled with brown. For cooking, or if fruit is to be kept on hand for several days, choose those with an all yellow skin. Bananas should never be placed in the refrigerator.

For this salad, peel the bananas and cut in halves lengthwise. Spread one half of the banana with a generous layer of the Panut Butter and cover with the other half of the banana. Place the whole banana in a bed of crisp lettuce and garnish with a spoonful of Mayonnaise.

“Any substitution of ingredients will alter the flavour of the salad!” they caution at the bottom of the page. Like if you had an apple and peanut butter. Or a banana and honey. Or maybe just a nice green salad with cucumbers and things. I guess that would alter the flavor - or flavour, as this is a Canadian Heinz cookbook.

Having said all that, leaving out the mayonnaise would be a good idea.