Attempted Bloggery: rum

Showing posts with label rum. Show all posts

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

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vtg-Mr-LEMON-HART-Says-How-To-Make-RUM-DRINKS-Like-Pro-RECIPE-BOOKLET-Tiki-Guide-/373258583222?ul_noapp=true&autorefresh=true&nma=true&si=WEtIFz5%252FkfY9UxP8WWeB%252FCaqeVQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

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/

03447

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Ronald Searle: Lemon Hart Rum Poster

Advertising for the Lemon Hart Rum campaign illustrated by Ronald Searle between 1951 and 1962 generally carries the tag lines "Have a good rum for your money" and, less often, "Two in harmony." The "two" refers to both Lemon Hart Rum, represented by the tall and spindly Mr. Lemon Hart in his lemon-colored suit, and Lamb's Navy Rum, represented by the short and stout Mr. Lamb in, of course, navy blue. How does one choose between the two dark rums? We can surmise that even Mr. Lemon Hart fancies the taste of both. A vintage advertising poster shows Mr. Lemon Hart and Mr. Lamb demonstrating some excellent teamwork, up to a point. It was sold on eBay late in 2017 for a very reasonable $149.

Ronald Searle
eBay Listing Ended December 16, 2017

Ronald Searle
eBay Item Description

Note: Ronald Searle's work for the Lemon Hart Rum advertising campaign is exhaustively documented in "Let's toast to the New Year with Lemon Hart Rum!" This 2007 post by Matt Jones appears on Perpetua, the Ronald Searle tribute blog, here.

Need I remind you that Ronald Searle's centenary will be celebrated next week on the third of March?

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Saturday, June 3, 2017

Ronald Searle: Lemon Hart Rum Acrobats

Lemon Hart and Son today calls itself the first official purveyor of rum to the British Royal Navy; presumably the Navy had earlier unofficial rum purveyors as well. Lamb's Navy Rum is a global blend created by 22-year-old Alfred Lamb in 1849. Lemon Hart Rum and Lamb's Navy Rum were the subjects of an extensive advertising campaign by Ronald Searle between 1951 and 1962. Mr. Lamb is depicted as a rotund older gentleman and Mr. Lemon Hart is the elongated man about town. Slogans for the campaign were "Have a good rum for your money" and occasionally, "Two in harmony." A poster depicting the two as acrobats, with Mr. Lamb improbably balanced above, was offered on eBay in 2015 for $1,100. Although it was available for months with the Make Offer option, the eventual buyer took no chances and grabbed it outright at full price.