Ada Coleman and the Savoy’s American Bar

Summary

Summary of "Ada Coleman and the Savoy’s American Bar" – Stuff You Missed in History Class

Episode Title: Ada Coleman and the Savoy’s American Bar
Release Date: February 5, 2025
Hosts: Holly Fry and Tracy V. Wilson
Production: iHeartRadio

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Introduction

In this episode of Stuff You Missed in History Class, hosts Holly Fry and Tracy V. Wilson delve into the fascinating life of Ada Coleman, a pioneering female bartender at the prestigious American Bar in London’s Savoy Hotel. They explore her remarkable career, the challenges faced by women in the bartending industry during the early 20th century, and her enduring legacy in the world of cocktails.

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Ada Coleman's Early Life and Entry into Bartending

Ada Coleman, born circa 1875, entered the hospitality industry under circumstances shaped by her family's connections. Holly Fry explains, “Ada was a head bartender, although women were generally called bar maids at the time” (02:26). Ada’s father worked as a steward for Rupert D’Oyly Cart, who managed the Savoy Hotel and Theatre in London. After her father’s death in 1899, Ada transitioned from working in the hotel’s flower shop to the bar, thanks to a recommendation from Rupert Cart.

At age 24, Ada showcased her talent by creating her first cocktail, a Manhattan, under the mentorship of a wine butler named Fisher (05:19). Her natural aptitude and amiable personality quickly propelled her into a coveted position within the hotel's American Bar.

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Women in Early 20th Century Bartending

The episode highlights the broader context of women in the bartending profession during Ada’s time. Tracy V. Wilson references a 1905 publication by the Joint Committee on the Employment of Barmaids titled Women as Barmaids (07:25). This report painted a grim picture of female bartenders, associating alcohol and women with moral decline. Despite estimates suggesting that half of all bar staff in England were women, societal prejudices were rampant.

Holly adds, “Barmaids were not protected by any labor laws. They could be let go for any reason...” (10:42). The report detailed the strenuous working conditions, including long hours and the risk of physical and emotional abuse. Women were often subjected to unfair treatment and had to navigate a hostile work environment that prioritized aesthetics over their well-being.

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Ada's Career at the Savoy's American Bar

Ada Coleman thrived in this challenging environment, becoming the head bartender at the American Bar after Frank Wells retired. Tracy notes, “Ada was the exact right mix of friendly and naturally good at making drinks to quickly become a favorite of both management and patrons” (06:19). The American Bar, established in 1893, became an iconic establishment renowned for its cocktails and illustrious clientele.

Ada’s role extended beyond mixing drinks; she managed the bar’s operations, developed the menu, and ensured exceptional service for guests. Her ability to connect with patrons, including celebrities like Charlie Chaplin and authors like Mark Twain, made her a celebrated figure in London’s social scene.

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The Creation of the Hanky Panky

One of Ada’s most enduring contributions to mixology is the creation of the Hanky Panky cocktail. Tracy recounts the story: “Sir Charles Henry Hawtrey, a regular patron, requested something with a bit more punch” (24:25). Ada experimented extensively until she perfected the drink, which combines gin, sweet vermouth, and Fernet Branca. Upon its creation, Hawtrey declared, “by Jove, that is the real Hanky Panky” (24:47), and the name has endured as a classic cocktail.

This creation not only cemented Ada’s reputation but also highlighted her innovative spirit and deep understanding of flavor profiles, ensuring her legacy in the bartending world.

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Retirement and Feud

Ada’s illustrious career faced turbulence with the arrival of Harry Craddock, an American bartender who authored The Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930 (29:17). While Craddock is sometimes credited as an American, he was actually born in Stroud, England, and later became a U.S. citizen. His relationship with Ada was complex and, according to Tracy, possibly strained. “There was no possibility of getting the top job in the American Bar as long as Ms. Coleman was there” (30:02).

A reported feud between Ada and Ruth Burgess, another prominent barmaid, added to the tension. An article from 1926 describes their mutual enmity: “They have laid down their cocktail shakers without patching up their differences” (31:39). The root of their conflict stemmed from Ruth’s inability to replicate Ada’s specialized cocktails, leading to silent resentment.

Ultimately, both Ada and Ruth retired simultaneously in the mid-1920s, coinciding with renovations at the American Bar. Craddock succeeded Ada as head bartender, furthering the legacy Ada left behind with cocktails like the Hanky Panky featured in his renowned cocktail book.

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Legacy and Modern Recognition

Ada Coleman’s impact on the bartending industry remains profound. By her own account, she crafted over one million drinks during her tenure (34:48). Today, the American Bar continues to uphold her standards, offering exclusive cocktails and maintaining its status as one of the world’s premier bars.

In 2021, Shannon Toay became the first U.S.-born bartender to lead the American Bar, marking the first time since Ada’s retirement that a woman held the position. This milestone underscores Ada’s lasting influence and the ongoing efforts to promote diversity and excellence in the bartending profession.

The Ada Coleman Project, a professional organization, honors her legacy by advocating for greater representation and inclusivity in bartending. Their mission emphasizes raising awareness about gender inequities and celebrating the women who innovate within the industry (36:18).

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Listener Mail

The episode concludes with listener engagement, featuring a heartfelt message from Lyssa. She expresses gratitude for the show’s storytelling, particularly appreciating episodes that highlight influential women like Ada Coleman. Lyssa shares, “I love to sew but hand finish my garments because I despise the appearance of serged edges... thanks for your wonderful podcast” (37:12). This interaction highlights the show's impact on its audience, fostering a community appreciative of historical narratives and their modern-day significance.

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Conclusion

Ada Coleman’s story is a testament to resilience, innovation, and the enduring power of exceptional service. Through Stuff You Missed in History Class, Holly Fry and Tracy V. Wilson illuminate Ada’s remarkable journey and the broader societal challenges women faced in the early 20th-century hospitality industry. Ada’s legacy continues to inspire bartenders and enthusiasts worldwide, ensuring that her contributions to mixology and hospitality are never forgotten.

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Notable Quotes:

• Tracy V. Wilson [07:25]: “We ought, I think, to keep them free from the stress of what drives them towards a life so unsuited for women.”

• Ada Coleman [22:30]: “I don't agree with him at all. If you are looking for a temperance sermon, young man, you will have to move on.”

• Tracy V. Wilson [31:39]: “The atmosphere has otherwise remained bright and cheerful... But the women between them nourished relentlessly their mutual enmity and scorn.”

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For more insights into historical figures and untold stories, subscribe to Stuff You Missed in History Class on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or your preferred podcast platform.

Transcript

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[Maria Tremarki]

Welcome to the Criminalia Podcast. I'm Maria Tremarke.

[Holly Fry]

And I'm Holly Frey. Together we invite you into the dark and winding corridors of historical true crime.

[Maria Tremarki]

Each season we explore a new theme. From poisoners to art thieves, we uncover.

[Holly Fry]

The secrets of history's most interesting figures, from legal injustices to body snatching.

[Maria Tremarki]

And tune in at the end of each episode as we indulge in cocktails and mocktails inspired by each story.

[Holly Fry]

Listen to criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Os Velozian]

Do you want to see into the future? Do you want to understand an invisible force that's shaping your life? Do you want to experience the frontiers of what makes us human? On Tech Stuff we travel from the mines of Congo to the surface of Mars, from conversations with Nobel Prize winners to the depths of TikTok to ask burning questions about technology, from high tech to low culture, and everywhere in between. Join Us Listen Tech stuff on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Arturo Castro]

Hi, I'm Arturo Castro and I've been lucky enough to do stuff like Broad City and Narcos and Roadhouse. And now I'm starting a podcast because honestly guys, I don't feel the space is crowded enough. Get ready for Greatest Escapes, a new comedy podcast about the wildest true escape stories in history. Each week I'll be sitting down with some of the most hilarious actors and writers and comedians. People like Ed Helms, Diane Guerrero, and Joseph Gordon Levitt.

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I love storytelling and I love you. So I can't wait.

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Listen. Subscribe to Greatest escapes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Holly Fry]

Welcome to Stuff youf Missed in History Class, a production of iHeartRadio. Hello and welcome to the podcast. I'm Holly Fry.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

And I'm Tracy V. Wilson.

[Holly Fry]

Sometimes there's a historical topic that keeps coming to the forefront in my day to day life like this happens to you as well. Until finally I'm like, fine, I will do it. And this is one of those. But it's also delightful. So it, it's more like one of those, oh, I won't do that. I'll save that for a time when I need a self indulgent episode. But this is a combination of the two. It's both self indulgent and it keeps flagging in my life and coming up in various times. So it's time. I actually mentioned Ada Coleman on the show recently, I think, and she came up on a recent episode of Criminalia and her story has kind of stayed on my mind, even though it's really pretty piecemeal. We don't have a wide range of biographical detail, but it also offers a pretty unique glimpse into bar culture, luxury, hospitality and the roles of women in the early 20th century. Ada was a head bartender, although women were generally called bar maids at the time. That connotation of youth that comes with that is important and we'll talk about why as we get into some, some details later. And she had that title at the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London. She created a cocktail that is still served today both at the Savoy and elsewhere. And she's kind of considered an enduring icon of the bartending industry.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Ada Coleman was born in or around 1875. That makes it clear her exact birthday, we don't know and we also really don't have any information about her formative years. According to the common story of Ada's early life and introduction into the hospitality world, her father worked for a man named Rupert Doyley Cart as a steward in his golf club. A steward in this case is kind of like a bar manager. That's the person making sure everything stays stocked and there are fresh ingredients on hand for any perishable things and receipts are accounted for. At the end of the day, all of that. Rupert D'Oyly cart was the son of Richard Doily Cart who had founded the Doily Cart Opera Company. That company was known for its policy of only producing Gilbert and Sullivan shows. The Savoy Theater was purpose built to produce the theater duo's shows and to accommodate the many theatergoers who flocked to London to see those shows. He also buil Savoy Hotel next door in 1889. The Savoy Hotel was a very modern construction project that was entirely electric. There was an elevator, it had hot and cold running water and every room had a speaking tube so that guests could call for anything they might need or want. Richard's son Rupert took over all of those businesses.

[Holly Fry]

And when Ada's father died in 1899, Ada went to work. She was offered a job in the flower shop at Claridge's hotel, which was also owned by Doily Cart. This is often framed as like a favor he did because he really liked her father and the family. According to an interview she gave later in her life, she made her first cocktail at Claridge's. That was a Manhattan. She was coached in the making of that drink by the wine butler there, whose name was Fisher and who is the person who taught her about bartending. And she got on quickly. And soon she was moved from her position in the flower shop to a position in the hotel bar. She was reportedly 24 at the time. And as we'll discuss in a moment, 24 would be the point where a lot of women were aging out of barmaid jobs. But Ada was just getting started. She was the exact right mix of friendly and naturally good at making drinks to quickly become a favorite of both management and patrons.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Frank Wells had been head bartender at the Savoy Hotel's popular American bar since its opening. When he retired, Ada was moved into that position. The American bar was and still is an institution. It was opened in 1893 and has hosted a long list of famous patrons over more than 130 years that it's been in service. It's touted by the Savoy as the longest surviving cocktail bar in London. It's considered one of the best bars in the world. The name American bar refers to drinks served in what was called in the late 19th century American style. That just means cocktails or mixed drinks, even though that was probably not the invention of the United States. There were a lot of American bars popping up in Europe in the late 1800s, but none of them attain the popularity or legendary status of the Savoys Bar. And Ada is sometimes credited for really putting it on the map.

[Holly Fry]

And to get a sense of what the bar scene was like regarding women employees when Ada was promoted to the American bar head bartender position, we have a 1905 publication prepared by the Joint Committee on the Employment of Barmaids. They made a whole committee for it and that publication is titled Women as Barmaids. This was a document prepared to support a case to ban women from working in bars at a time when a lot of women did so. Some estimates suggest that half of all bar staff in England at this time were women. You'll also sometimes see this as like they pull in a quote or a statistic from the Us at the time where it's much more lopsided. But in. In England it was very common for women to work in bars. Specifically, the introduction to this document, which was written by the Lord Bishop of Southk, is very open about its message that alcohol plus women equals moral depravity and includes this commentary on how women should be treated. Quote. We ought, I think, to keep them free from the stress of what drives them towards a life so unsuited for women. In the case of those who read what is here said about the use of young women as an instrument of bringing in business about the kind of women desired, I shall be surprised if they do not feel that the practice of so employing some of our brightest girls is lowering to the whole moral tone of the community with regard to women. But though the Lord Bishop states repeatedly that public morale is at risk when women work in bars, he concludes by saying, quote, I need not point out that there is no intention to suggest the withdrawal of work from any who are already engaged upon it. So theoretically, at this point Ada would have been able to retain her job. There is also a note at the beginning of this published report that states, quote, this book makes no charges against publicans generally and most certainly not against barmaids, many of whom remained firm against all temptations and dangers.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

The rest of the report goes on to talk about the distribution of barmaids throughout Great Britain and Ireland, noting that in some areas barmaids are never hired, while in others, and most definitely in London, it's very common. But even so, at a time when A total of 4,171,600 751 women and girls were working in Britain and Ireland. Only 78, 834 of them were working in what we would now call the hospitality industry, which in the report includes, quote, in hotel keepers, publicans, beer sellers, cider dealers, seller women barmaids and others in in hotel eating house service, barmaids made up 27,707 of these positions per the 1901 census. The report notes that barmaids averaged 12 shillings a week in pay, with the low end being 5 and the high end being 15, and that most positions included board and lodging as well.

[Holly Fry]

While this was only slightly lower pay than men in similar jobs, the barmaids were not protected by any labor laws. They could be let go for any reason, and they were often made to pay for any loss through breakage from their salary, quote. Even if caused by the customer. This was also a job field that the report described as overcrowded, with many women moving into service jobs from domestic work, thinking that it would be more interesting only to find that it is often far more strenuous. Two thirds of the people working barmaid jobs were between the ages of 15 and 25. The report quotes a trade magazine of the time in noting that as women age, they cannot compete for these jobs with younger women. Quote in the barmaid's calling, the old have no chance against the young.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

On the proprietor's side, hiring women into bar positions had two clear benefits. One, it attracted more men as patrons and two, having women as employees made bars appear more respectable to other women, who then would be more comfortable selecting those establishments over ones where only men worked. But because there were not regulations for the hospitality industry on the hours that a woman could be required to work in the early 20th century, there was also the benefit of scheduling them for ridiculously long shifts. Some establishments were open as many as 123 and a half hours per week, and sometimes barmaids were expected to be on duty from opening to closing, so they could work 19 hour days in some cases. The report cites the account of several women who worked as barmaids and one who noted that she is, quote, one of the lucky sort who worked a 10am to 12:30am shift with a total of two hours off throughout the day for rest and meals.

[Holly Fry]

This write up, then notes quote, this great length of hours necessitated by the conditions of the licensed Victual trademark, from a physical point of view renders the calling unsuited for women. Prolonged standing injures a woman in a way it does not a man and tends to incapacitate her for the normal woman's life. There are also testimonials by doctors noting that working in a bar is terrible for women's health. Some of these are definitely from the valid point of view that, for example, preteen girls should not be working as barmaids, but of course, no one that young should be working. But the same thing is not stated regarding boys who work in bars. Some of this is because barmaids are, as the report calls them, sirens who attract men to drink. So there is a moral issue there, as perceived by the social mores of the early 1900s, that is not as much of a consideration for boys. It's interesting that all of this is leading to a case of removing women from the trade rather than enacting labor laws to protect them, particularly when there are other industries like cotton factories that are noted in the report as having employee hours that are regulated by law.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

We'll continue talking about the contents of the committee's published report on the state of barmaids in the early 1900s, including some rather dark aspects of the job. But first we will pause for a sponsor break.

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So join us, Listen to tech stuff on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Maria Tremarki]

Welcome to the Criminalia Podcast. I'm Maria Tremarke.

[Holly Fry]

And I'm Holly Fry. Together we invite you into the dark and winding corridors of historical true crime.

[Maria Tremarki]

Each season we explore a new theme, everything from poisoners and pirates to art thieves and snake oil products and those who made and sold them.

[Holly Fry]

We uncover the stories and secrets of some of history's most compelling criminal figures, including a man who built a submarine as a getaway vehicle. Yep, that's a fact.

[Maria Tremarki]

We also look at what kinds of societal forces were at play at the time of the crime, from legal injustices to the ethics of body snatching, to see what, if anything, might look different through today's perspective.

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And be sure to tune in at the end of each episode as we indulge in custom made cocktails and mocktails inspired by the stories. There's one for every story we tell.

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Listen to criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Holly Fry]

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It's.

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[Holly Fry]

As Barmaids Report prepared by the Joint Committee on the Employment of Barmaids also makes the case that women are more likely to develop dependencies on alcohol and stimulants in such jobs, and that in general, they will become amoral due to the constant exposure to men who are likely to speak and behave immorally with them in ways they would not normally with a woman. That isn't really news to anyone who's ever been in a bar, and there are statements included from women who worked in the field, one of whom stated, quote, many and many a time have I cried myself to sleep after I have been laughing and joking all the evening because of the things we have to put up with in the bar. I don't consider it as a proper occupation for a woman. Any cad who can pay 2 pence for a drink thinks he is entitled to say what he likes to the barmaid. Often women also faced physical violence from their customers, particularly when they were intoxicated. But this was not only a problem with patrons. There are a lot of accounts in this publication of women being assaulted or pressured into sexual relationships with their employers.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

While the study of barmaids notes that many women in the business end up married to patrons and often, to quote men above themselves in station. It also said that women who did not get married by 35 while working in bars were doomed, to quote a gloomy prospect, some very sad statistics of deaths, including murders and suicides.

[Holly Fry]

The solution to phasing out women working as barmaids, per the committee's recommendation, was this quote. The form which it is proposed that legislation should take is that on a certain date all barmaids then in employ should receive a certificate stating this fact and provided with means of identification, and that it should thenceforth be illegal for publicans to engage as barmaid any woman but one so certificated. That is how they put it. The calling would thus come automatically to an end in a few years. This law would not prevent a publican's employing his own wife or daughter to serve in his bar, nor would it prevent a certificated barmaid from entering on a fresh situation whenever she pleased. There are also additional recommendations that families that would not be able to ensure a financial future for their daughters should just start to make sure they train them for a trade. There is also the recommendation to women's immigration societies, which is how they put it, that the lack of jobs for women in England could be addressed if young women would move to Canada or the various British colonies that needed teachers and governesses.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

And somehow, in this social and cultural environment that was in many ways so antagonistic toward women working behind a bar, Ada Coleman, who patrons called Coley, really thrived. To be clear, she was working in the fanciest bars in the city of London, not in a tavern or an inn that was likely to have a rougher clientele and ownership. But she was still an outlier, although she wasn't the only woman working at the American bar. Another woman named Ruth Burgess was also a barmaid there. You might think these two would become allies in an industry that was so stacked against women. And that does not appear to have been the case. We will talk about why in just a moment.

[Holly Fry]

The nature of the Savoy and its bar, tightly tied to the theater world, was also a perfect fit for Ada. She was a fan of theater and she loved to spend time with the performers and the creatives who put together shows for the Savoy Theater, often inviting them to her home for get togethers. Her favorite bar regulars were also invited if they were lucky, and she was reportedly a fantastic hostess. She was also very comfortable and at ease with celebrities of all kinds, so she was able to banter with them and cater service to their personalities. In her time as the Savoy's head bartender, she served royalty, millionaires and the most celebrated authors of the day, including Mark Twain. Her bubbly personality and her skill with a shaker made her something of a celebrity in her own right. For the wealthy and famous, if you were in London, you had to have Coley make you a drink, and she became the favored bartender of people like Charlie Chaplin and the Prince of Wales. In short, Coley was the it bartender of London.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Being head bartender also meant she was managing the bar's various business and logistics needs. She was the person who developed the menu, who managed the other bartenders, and who made sure that all the bar's guests were taken care of while also mixing drinks more or less constantly.

[Holly Fry]

When the US Passed its Prohibition law, a correspondent for the periodical, the mixer and server, got Coley's take on prohibition. After speaking to her about a bartender who said that he professionally served alcohol but personally believed that no one should drink, she responded, quote, I don't agree with him at all. If you are looking for a temperance sermon, young man, you will have to move on. Famous men from all over the world have been in this bar in my time, and I have seen them go out and become more famous than ever. When Mark Twain came over from Euro America to get a degree from Oxford University, I served him a cocktail here. Did not brave young men of the war days come here to have a last drink together and tell each other goodbye? She also told the writer that England would never pass Prohibition laws because of what she called the four Ls the Lords, the landlords, the ladies and the laborers.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

One of Coley's most noteworthy professional achievements, at least in terms of historical longevity, was the creation of a cocktail called the Hanky Panky. The story behind it involves one of her regulars, renowned comedy actor and director Sir Charles Henry Hawtrey. Just for disambiguation, he shares the same name with another English actor. The one we are talking about today was born in 1858 and the other was born in 1914. They were not related. Our Charles Hawtrey often worked with Gilbert and Sullivan, so he was tied into the Savoy ecosystem.

[Holly Fry]

Here is how Ada Coleman described the drinks Genesis in an interview that she gave several years later. Quote the late Charles Hawtrey was one of the best judges of cocktails that I knew. Some years ago when he was overworking, he used to come into the bar and say, coley, I am tired. Give me something with a bit of punch in it. It was for him that I spent hours experimenting until I had invented a new cocktail. The next time he came in, I told him I had a new drink for him. He sipped it and draining the glass he said, by Jove, that is the real Hanky Panky and Hanky Panky and has been called ever since. The Hanky Panky, incidentally, is a very spirit forward drink. It consists of equal parts gin and sweet vermouth with a couple of dashes of Fernet Branca and the term Hanky Panky was more of a reference to witchcraft and alchemy in England than the suggestion of sexual activity that that phrase connotes.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Today in the US In a moment we will talk about the end of Ada's bartending career and some debate about it. First we will hear from the sponsors that keep the show going.

[Os Velozian]

Do you want to understand an invisible force that's shaping your life? I'm Os Velozian, one of the new hosts of the long running podcast Tech Stuff. I'm slightly skeptical but obsessively intrigued.

[Holly Fry]

And I'm Cara Price, the other new.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Host, and I'm ready to adopt early.

[Os Velozian]

And often on tech Stuff. We travel all the way from the mines of Congo to the surface of Mars to the dark corners of TikTok to ask and attempt to answer burning questions about technology.

[Maria Tremarki]

One of the kind of tricks for.

[Holly Fry]

Surviving Mars is to live there long enough so that people evolve into Martians. Like data is a very rough proxy for a complex reality.

[Julian Lennon]

How is it possible that the world's.

[Os Velozian]

New energy revolution can be based in.

[Julian Lennon]

This place where there's no electricity at night?

[Holly Fry]

Oz and I will cut through the noise to bring you the best conversations and deep dives that will help you understand how tech is changing our world and what you need to know to survive the singularity. So join us.

[Os Velozian]

Listen to tech stuff on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Maria Tremarki]

Welcome to the Criminalia Podcast. I'm Maria Tremarki.

[Holly Fry]

And I'm Holly Fry. Together we invite you into the dark and winding corridors of historical true crime.

[Maria Tremarki]

Each season we explore a new theme, everything from poisoners and pirates to art thieves and snake oil products and those who made and sold them.

[Holly Fry]

We uncover the stories and secrets of some of history's most compelling criminal figures, including a man who built a submarine as a getaway vehicle. Yep, that's a fact.

[Maria Tremarki]

We also look at what kinds of societal forces were at play at the time of the crime, from legal injustices to the ethics of body snatching, to see what, if anything, might look different through today's perspective.

[Holly Fry]

And be sure to tune in at the End of each episode as we indulge in custom made cocktails and mocktails inspired by the stories. There's one for every story we tell.

[Maria Tremarki]

Listen to criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Arturo Castro]

Hi, this is Ruthie Rogers, host of Ruthie's Table four. This week my guest is Zoe Saldana and what a woman she is.

[Maria Tremarki]

I come from a family and I do know this, that it's a cultural thing. We dance. If you failed a test, we danced.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

If you passed it, you know what I mean?

[Maria Tremarki]

You just dance and you dance merengue and you dance salsa and everybody sits in someone's backyard.

[Arturo Castro]

Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple, or wherever you find your podcasts. Hey, it's Alec Baldwin. This season on my podcast, here's the Thing, I speak with musician, photographer and philanthropist Julian Lennon.

[Julian Lennon]

One of the really important things that happened to me in my relationship with photography and the images was that I would have people write to me, people that couldn't financially afford to travel the world or go anywhere, couldn't or were disabled and couldn't travel the world or go anywhere. And what they had all said to me is that you bring these stories to us, you bring the truth, you bring life to us of cultures that we would never necessarily know anything about. Photography really does allow me to do that. Have empathy for people on the other side of the world that you'll never, ever meet. But you, you'll at least have some understanding of what their life is and what they went through or are still going through.

[Arturo Castro]

Listen to the new season of here's the thing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Holly Fry]

Ada's retirement from the bar is one of those things that is told differently by different people. But every story involves Harry Craddock. Craddock, who wrote the Savoy cocktail book in 1930 that is a book we have mentioned on this show, is sometimes described as an American, but he was born in Stroud, England. He did move to the U.S. and become a U.S. citizen in his early years, though. And in the U.S. he also became a bartender. And he did really well as a bartender until Prohibition shut down all of the places he had ever worked. So at that point he moved back to England where, as Ada had said, the four Ls made sure alcohol stayed legal and he got hired at American Bar.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

There is some debate around Craddock's relationship with Ada at the American Bar, but. And that involves like a lot of speculation, some accounts note that he worked at American Bar for five years while Ada was head bartender. But it does seem as though he may have really bristled at working under a woman's supervisor and then launched a campaign to get rid of Coley from her head bartender position. In an interview with Chilled magazine, the Savoy's archivist, Susan Scott, reiterated that we don't know any of this with certainty, stating, quote, there was no possibility of getting the top job in the American Bar as long as Ms. Coleman was there. And while it is easy to say there was no love lost between them, that is just supposition.

[Holly Fry]

Yeah, There's a whole story that some people say is documented that he kind of made the case to the ownership that if people came into the bar who were Americans, they were not used to seeing women bartenders, and so they wouldn't go there or like it. But like, at that point, she had been working for more than 20 years, and when people came from the US they seemed to love her. So there's a lot of theory going on there. Ruth Burgess was also retired from the bar at the same time as ada in the mid-1920s, and the bar was also closed at that point temporarily for renovations. So there's always the possibility that all of this was merely a logistics and staffing issue.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

In 1926, an article appeared in various newspapers announcing the, quote, retirement of Ada and Ruth from the American Bar. Here's what it said. Quote, Beloved by all drinking men who come to them for cheer from the four corners of the world, the two picturesque barmaids of the Savoy Hotel have laid down their cocktail shakers without patching up their differences. They are Ms. Ada Coleman and Ms. Ruth Burgess. For over 20 years they have worked in the same little corner, handled the same bottles, and beamed on the same good friends without speaking to each other. This feud, which most old customers knew about but could not explain, hung over the back bar like a film of fog when both were there. But through the years, the atmosphere has otherwise remained bright and cheerful. Between happy greetings and fond farewells with customers, much merry patter passed across the bar. But the women between them nourished relentlessly their mutual enmity and scorn.

[Holly Fry]

So this article goes on to explain that the root of the issue and the decades long animosity between the women is this. Ruth Burgess had been at American Bar since 1902, and when Coley started there the following year, she started making her own newly invented cocktails, which quickly became the preferred drinks of the bar regulars. When Ada was not working. Those regulars would order them from Ruth, but she didn't know how to make them. And then when she asked Ada for the recipes so she could make them when Ada wasn't working, Ada refused, and at that point the two stopped speaking to one another entirely.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

The article continues. Quote Neither ever dreamed of leaving her work to be free of the quarrel, but each waited and hoped that the other would go. Finally, the blow came to both at the same time. The management explained that changes were being made, the bar renovated, a new system necessary, and that they had earned arrest. They were given notice and granted pensions. After that, Harry Craddock was the head bartender at American Bar and Ada, who had not actually retired, was moved into a position at the Savoy's flower shop. When Craddock published the Savoy Cocktail book a few years later, he included the Hanky Panky in it and credited Ada. But it's the only drink in the book that bears her name. Even though it's likely that multiple signature drinks of the Savoys bar were her.

[Holly Fry]

Creations, Ada's life after the Savoy does not appear to have garnered a lot of attention. She died at the age of 91 in 1966, but the gap between her time at the Savoy and her death doesn't seem to be well recorded. Today, Ada is considered one of the most important bartenders of all time. She was certainly prolific. By her own calculations she had made 1 million drinks during her career behind the bar.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

American Bar, as we mentioned earlier, continues to this day. It's become somewhat difficult to get into as a prestige bar that also features some of the world's priciest drinks. This includes a Sazerac that costs £5,000 because it's made with vintage spirits. Their vintage Hanky Panky is £150. American Bar also develops a new menu periodically, each iteration built around a different theme. The current one, which features both non alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, is built around the theme of liquid moments celebrating the people, details and events that have become important to the establishment's history. To be named head bartender at American Bar is one of the highest honors in the bartending industry, although it comes with a lot of pressure. In 2021, as the Savoy was reopening its various departments after Covid shutdowns, Shannon Toay became the first US born bartender to helm American Bar. That also made her the first woman head bartender since Ada's retirement in the 1920s.

[Holly Fry]

The relationship between Ada and Ruth was examined in an immersive theater project in 2017 in Washington D.C. the post shift theater recreated an imaginary first shift that Ada and Ruth worked behind the bar together. I wish I had known about and seen that.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Today there's a professional organization called the Ada Coleman Project. In the organization's own words quote, our mission is to not only bring awareness to the current inequities and the representation of women plus in educational and recreational bartending roles, but also to offer meaningful solutions. Our vision is to spotlight the women who innovate and inspire us as an industry in an effort to raise awareness and encourage meaningful conversation regarding the need for a more balanced and diverse selection of leaders educating, speaking and advocating for the next generation and beyond. Their logo is a stylized version of a nearly empty hanky panky glass, which is intended to evolve and be represented as fuller and fuller as the group achieves greater inclusivity in the bartending industry.

[Holly Fry]

Kind of a cool legacy.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Uh huh.

[Holly Fry]

Um, I have listener mail and my listener mail is also about an important woman that we've talked about. This is from our listener Lyssa, who writes Dear Holly and Tracy, I have just pressed pause while listening to your episode titled Helen a Blanchard Sewing Machine Innovator so that I could thank you for a marvelous 45 minutes of listening. I love to sew but hand finish my garments because I despise the appearance of serged edges. I have frequently passed over garments for purchase for having surged interiors, all the while cursing whoever invented that blasted machine. And now, having heard Helen's story, I'm quite pleased to know that a smart woman invented it and rather disappointed that I'll just have to stew in my dissatisfaction while not wishing any additional ill toward her memory. Drat. Thank you for your wonderful podcast. I have listened since the very beginning, originally downloading episodes to the itunes player on my desktop computer. The contrast of wandering around with you two ladies in my pocket now is delightful. I hope you enjoy writing the show as much now as you did when you joined it more than 10 years ago. Cheers to you, Lyssa. She mentioned she doesn't have a PhD because she skips over the spooky episodes, but one of them she listened to because 20 years ago my husband wrote a musical version of the Greenbrier Ghost Story, so I enjoyed hearing your version. Thank you for all the rest though. That sounds amazing. I would love to hear that musical, so please feel free to send it along if you have any recordings. That tickled me immensely. My hat is off to people who hand finish all of their garments when they sew because I am lazy and I am in it because I want more clothes that I can't probably find elsewhere and I am a big fan of the Searcher as she heard so but again my hat is off to people that do hand finishing. It is beautiful. If you would like to write to us and Sherry, your dismay at Serger finishes or your delight at learning that a smart woman did it or anything else, you can do that at history [e-mail] you can also subscribe to the show. It is the simplest thing in the world. You can do that on the iHeartRadio app or anywhere you listen to your favorite shows.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Stuff youf Missed in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

[Maria Tremarki]

Welcome to the Criminalia Podcast. I'm Maria Tremarke.

[Holly Fry]

And I'm Holly Fry. Together we invite you into the dark and winding corridors of historical true crime.

[Maria Tremarki]

Each season we explore a new theme, from poisoners to art thieves.

[Holly Fry]

We uncover the secrets of history's most interesting figures, from legal injustices to body.

[Maria Tremarki]

Snatching, and tune in at the end of each episode as we indulge in cocktails and mocktails inspired by each story.

[Holly Fry]

Listen to criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Os Velozian]

Do you want to see into the future? Do you want to understand an invisible force that's shaping your life? Do you want to experience the frontiers of of what makes us human? On tech stuff, we travel from the mines of Congo to the surface of Mars, from conversations with Nobel Prize winners to the depths of TikTok to ask burning questions about technology, from high tech to low culture and everywhere in between. Join us Listen to tech stuff on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Arturo Castro]

Hi, I'm Arturo Castro, and I've been lucky enough to do stuff like Broad City and Narcos and Roadhouse. And now I'm starting a podcast because honestly guys, I don't feel the space is crowded enough. Get ready for Greatest Escapes, a new comedy podcast about the wildest true escape stories in history. Each week I'll be sitting down with some of the most hilarious actors and writers and comedians. People like Ed Helms, Diane Guerrero, and Joseph Gordon Levitt.

[Holly Fry]

I love storytelling and I love you, so I can't wait.

[Arturo Castro]

Listen and subscribe to Greatest escapes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Emila host of the podcast Crumbs. For years, I had to rely on other people to tell me my story. And what I heard wasn't good. You really? Last night, it felt like I lived most of my life in a blackout. I was trapped in addiction. I had to grab the lamp and smashed it against the walls. And then I decided I wanted to tell my own story. Listen to crumbs on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.