The Louisiana Flip

[Bill Gorton]

I was watching the 1932 film "Grand Hotel" this evening and there is a scene where mention is made of a drink called a "Louisiana Flip." A google search shows it's a rum drink but I was wondering if anyone knew anything about it.

(I want to say it might be in that group of recipes I sent to you Count so if you could give it a gander and let me know, I'd be in your debt)

I'm a bit curious about it's background as the scene seems to cast a dismissive air twoard the drink. The character that orders it is essentially a rube and he only is given it when he asks for "something sweet." He then attempts to get others to drink it but they turn it down and order other more suitable drinks (Joan Crawford's character, for example, insists on absinthe).

I expect this is a function of fashion and the "Louisiana Flip" was probably in vogue years earlier but had become somewhat common by the mid 30s. Drunk by those unversed on proper drinks, older holdouts and lightweights who didn't know any better.

Sort of like the popularity of rum drinks in the late 50s and early 60s with the whole craze for all things Hawaiian that later morphed into the horror of the girly drink. My own belief is this whole thing is cyclical but I could use any backstory on this particular example if possible.

[Count Silvio]

Sorry but there were no flips of any kind that I could see in the recipe collection you sent. Lousiana was mentioned several times but didn't see any flip recipes. Here is a flip recipe from Wayne Curtis' book though. According to the book this drink surfaced somewhere around 1690.

[Bill Gorton]

many thanks, good sir.

it has been my experience that drinks with names such as this tend to have pretty solid histories and, usually, there are specific reasons for their popularity at a given time.

although, the impression i got from the film is they were casting the following type of aspersion on the drink.