Thursday, November 19, 2020

Ronald Searle: Mr. Lemon Hart Says: "How to Make Rum Drinks Like a Pro..."

Not later than 1963, importer Julius Wile Sons & Co. produced an eight-page booklet to introduce an American audience to Lemon Hart rum, the best selling rum in England. The short recipe collection bears the slightly ungainly title of Mr. Lemon Hart Says: "How to Make Rum Drinks Like a Pro..." The "pro" behind these mixed drink creations is credited as Don the Beachcomber of Hollywood. The drawings featuring Mr. Lemon Hart are the work of Ronald Searle, "the famous English cartoonist" (Americans!) who provided the distinctive look for the British advertising campaign. This year is his centenary, so he would have been in his forties when these illustrations were made. The booklet is rare today; hence the high price realized on eBay. The listing is archived here as a public service. Cheers!






Ronald Searle
Mr. Lemon Hart Says:  "How to Make Rum Drinks Like a Pro..."
eBay listing ended October 13, 2020


Ronald Searle
Mr. Lemon Hart Says:  "How to Make Rum Drinks Like a Pro..."
eBay item description

Ronald Searle
Mr. Lemon Hart Says:  "How to Make Rum Drinks Like a Pro..."
eBay bid history
Four bidders have a go at it.






February 26, 2022 Update: This booklet was advertised during the summer of 1963 in The New Yorker. I have therefore revised my original conjecture that the promotion first appeared in the 1950s.


https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1963-07-20/flipbook/078/





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