Log Cabin Series – Drake’s Plantation Bitters

Log Cabin Series – Drake’s Plantation Bitters

28 November 2012 (R•090615) (R•090218) (R•110718)

D R A K E ‘ S    P L A N T A T I O N

B I T T E R S


Apple-Touch-IconAThere is no bitters brand that has been written about, talked about, collected or simply admired more than the classic Drake’s Plantation Bitters figural log cabin. You also do not have to be a bitters or figural collector to have a Drakes. I see them in figural, medicine, Civil War, cure, tonic, remedy, Western and just about every other type of collection. Just about everybody wants a Drakes or two in their collection. Some like myself, go for color runs.

Origins of Drake’s Plantation Bitters or Old Homestead Tonic

[Excerpts from the Evening Star, Wednesday, October 15, 1862]

Drake’s Plantation Bitters or Old Homestead Tonic are put up in Patent Bottles, representing a Swiss cottage and are an adornment to the sideboard.

Drake’s Plantation Bitters or Old Homestead Tonic is made from St. Croix Rum, Sugar Cane plant and Calisaya or King’s Bark.

This medicinal make-up was unknown until the middle of the seventeenth century. The natives of Peru were generally supposed to have been long previously acquainted with its most wonderful medicinal qualities. Humbboldt makes favorable mention of the febrifuge qualities of this article as an antidote to Fever and Ague, Intermittent and Malarious Fevers, in his extensive South American travels. 

The Countess, wife of the Viceroy of Peru, having in her own person experienced the beneficial effects of the bark, is said, on her return to Spain, in the year 1640, to have first introduced this remedy into Europe. After its introduction it was distributed and sold by the Jesuits, who are said to have obtained for it the enormous sum of its weight in silver. From this circumstance it was called Jesuit’s Powder, a title which it retained for many years.

In 1658, we are told that an Englishman by the name of Sir John Talbot employed it with great success in France, in the treatment of Fever and Ague, Dyspepsia, Nervous Affections, Loss of Appetite, Weakness and Debility, Palpitatation of the Heart, Diarrhea, &c, &c. under the name of English Powders; at length, in the year 1679, he sold the secret of its origin and preparation to Louis XIV., by whom was divulged. It is now the standard remedy, and is employed in the preparation of the Plantation Bitters.

On Peachridge Glass alone, there has been eight unique and dedicated posts (see below) on Drake’s.

Read: The “Blue-Green” Drakes Mystery

Read: Drake’s Plantation Bitters Label Question

Read: I brought a few of my Drakes to the Houston Show

Read: Information on the Drake’s Plantation Bitters Variants

Read: What is an Arabesque Drakes Plantation Bitters

Read: Drakes Plantation Bitters – Encased Postage

Read: One of the Crudest Drakes You Will Ever See

Read: Drake’s Plantation Bitters Article Raises Serious Questions – Cecil Munsey, PhD

So what do we do here when it has probably all been done before? Well….we can create a Drakes ‘Allstar Page’ or a ‘Best of Drakes’ page or a David Letterman styled ‘Top Ten Reasons to Collect Drake’s’ list. Let’s do that! I always disliked when musical groups did a compilation album but none-the-less, I am going to go deep in my files and show you why this bottle is so great. So here we go with the Top 1o Reasons to Collect Drakes. And by the way, these are my top 10 reasons. You can switch them around or have other reasons. That’s cool.

TOP 10 REASONS TO COLLECT DRAKE’S PLANTATION BITTERS

Reason #1o: Houston, We have a Patent on the Bottle

Some of the other cabin figurals have patents for the ingredients. Here we have an actual patent in 1862 for the cabin form bottle.

“Be it known that I, P. H. DRAKE of Binghamton, in the county of Broome and State of New York, have invented or produced a new and original Design for a Bottle…”

United States Patent Office – P. H. Drake of Binghamton, New York. Design for a Bottle – Specification forming part of a design No. 1538 dated February 18, 1862

United States Patent Office – P. H. Drake of Binghamton, New York. Design for a Bottle – Specification forming part of a design No. 1538 dated February 18, 1862


Reason #9Great Photographs of Tough Looking Characters Drinking Drake’s

There are a some great historical photographs of gents drinking Drake’s Plantation Bitters such as this young man posing with a mug and a bottle of Drakes. One can only hope that the bartender kept that mug frosty to make that Drake’s taste ‘oh so much better’. Obviously from his look, he has not had a drink yet…or maybe he just had a drink and froze.


Reason #8: You Can Find a Drake’s Just About Anywhere

Someone once said, “You could have lined up, end-to-end, all of the discarded Drake’s Plantation Bitters and created a glass line from New York to California…and back!” You find Drake’s in shipwrecks, privies, attics, under porches, behind walls, in grandmas pantry, in the barn, antique shops, yard sales, bottle shows, eBay, auctions, you name it. It is not really hard to find a Drake’s. It was not hard either to buy a Drakes on your way to the California gold fields or returning with your booty or lack thereof. Drake’s was sold everywhere.

A Drake’s Plantation Bitters bottle is excavated from the SS Republic shipwreck site, 1,700 feet below the ocean surface. A soft limpet suction device attached to the manipulator arm of Odyssey’s Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), ZEUS delicately removes the bottle from the seabed. – Odyssey Marine Exploration

Drake’s Plantation Bitters fresh from a privy.

Encrusted Drake’s Plantation Bitters – Matthew T. Levanti


Reason #7: You get to Try to Figure out What S–T–1860–X means.

The cryptic slogan really locked the product into the minds of the public, bringing speculation as to its meaning. It was widely held that it meant Started Trade in 1860 with $10, but Drake later explained it in his post-war almanacs Morning Noon and Night. “It represents St. Croix—S.T. being the conventional equivalent of Saint, and 1-8-6-0 standing for the letters C-R-O-I, and so forming, with the concluding X, the word CROIX. Nothing can be more simple, or, it may be, more appropriate. St. Croix Rum is a stimulating basis of the Plantation Bitters, and it is, therefore in accordance with the fitness of things, that St. Croix should be the basis of their business shibboleth.”

[Steven James Anderson] I still firmly believe that had the ST been meant to imply “saint” for ST. Croix, there would not be a period after each letter on the encased postage, or a “dash” designation after each letter on the label. I have read each of the “Morning, Noon and Night” pamphlets cover to cover, and found no mention of the meaning of S-T-1860-X., The only historical account I referenced is; “The legend of the Plantation Bitters was that it meant “Sure thing in ten years from 1860.” That is, when the inventor had made the decoction, and submitted it to a friend as an invention and marketable article, the friend, so the story goes, told him that it was a sure thing for a fortune in ten years. So, acting on this thought, he had billed the United States, “S. T. 1860 X.,” and spent half a million advertising “S. T. 1860 X.,” before anybody knew what it was all about. From the book The Indian War of 1864 by Euene Ware. Chapter X. Rations of Whisky – Era of Bitters – Artemus Ward – Major

The first in order was ‘Plantation Bitters”; next, “Hostetter’s Bitters”; third, “Log Cabin Bitters.” By the time the war broke out these bitters had been advertised with an expenditure of money which at that time was thought remarkable. Plantation Bitters appeared in 1860, and every wall and fence and vacant place in the United States was placarded with the legend, “S. T. 1880 X.” For several months everybody was guessing what the sign meant. It was in the newspapers. It was distributed in handbills on the street. It was seen at every turn, “S. T. 1860 X.” After the world had long grown tired of guessing, there appeared the complete legend, “Plantation Bitters, S. T. 1860 X.” Plantation Bitters became the bottled liquor of the age. It was made out of alcohol, water and flavoring, and was really very attractive as to taste and results.

 The legend of the Plantation Bitters was that it meant “Sure thing in ten years from 1860.” That is, when the inventor had made the decoction, and submitted it to a friend as an invention and marketable article, the friend, so the story goes, told him that it was a sure thing for a fortune in ten years. So, acting on this thought, he had billed the United States, “S. T. 1860 X.,” and spent half a million advertising “S. T. 1860 X.,” before anybody knew what it was all about. – The Indian War of 1864 by Eugene Ware

What do you think? Was Patrick Henry pulling our tail?

Drake’s Plantation Bitters newspaper advertisement with the cryptic S-T-1860-X phrase at the top.


Reason #6: Well you’ve got 4-Log, 5-Log, 6-Log, Arabesque and Variants Galore!

With the D 102, D 103, D 104, D 105, D 105.5, D 106, D 106.5, D 107, D 107.5, D 108, D 108.5, D 109 and D 110 listings in Carlyn Ring and W.C Hams Bitters Bottles and Bitters Bottles Supplement there is plenty to keep the Drake’s collector interested. For the most part, collectors have ignored the lesser variances and focused primarily on collecting 4-log or 6-log examples. With the Arabesques, the rare 5-logs and other anomalies such as this monster bulbous D 107 Drake’s Plantation Bitters pictured below, we can really have some fun and specialize in a particular area. You really can not do this with any other bitters bottle. We are even finding new variations without embossing, with chamfered corners, knobbed logs etc. There is much more discovery.

The unique D 107 Drake’s Plantation Bitters  as pictured in Carlyn Ring and W.C. Ham Bitters Bottles Supplement.


Reason #5: Patrick Henry Drake was the P.T. Barnum of Advertising

“He had his slogan S-T-1860-X, painted on rocks, fences and sides of barns.”

Calling himself COLONEL Drake, Patrick Henry was an aggressive self promoter, and included advertising signs in every crate shipped to retailers. The crates salvaged from the riverboat Bertrand contained gilded glass signs promoting his bitters. He had his slogan S-T-1860-X, painted on rocks, fences and sides of barns. He advertised in about any newspaper that sold space, and had even unsuccessfully tried to have his S-T-1860-X slogan painted on Niagara Falls, Mount Ararat and even the pyramids in Egypt. There was even facsimile currency advertising his product as pictured below.

Drake’s Plantation Bitters “banknote” issued around 1863. A great advertising piece.

Plantation Bitters Stereoscopic Card, America, 1865 – 1875. Black and white photographic image depicting the Flume Gorge at Franconia, New Hampshire with “Plantation / Bitters” painted in big letters on a large boulder. – Meyer Collection


Reason #4: Where Else Can You See Three Top Hobbies Merging?

I was a stamp collector first. My father collected coins when I was a child. This is a ‘trifecta’ for me. Stamps, coins and bottles all joining together with Encased Postage.

On August 12, 1862, John Gault received a patent for his ‘Design for Encasing Government Stamps’—that is, a design for encasing stamps for use as currency. Gault’s plans called for the corners of a postage stamp to be wrapped around a cardboard circle. A thin, transparent piece of mica covered the stamp, and an outer metal frame held these items secure. A heavier brass backing, suitable for advertising purposes, completed the piece. The size of a quarter but much lighter in weight, the object encased stamps from the 1861 issue-the 1-cent, 3-cent, 5-cent, 10-cent, 12-cent, 24-cent, 30-cent, and 90-cent. Gault sold his encased postage at a small markup over the value of the enclosed stamp and the cost of production.


Reason #3: Ahhh…. The Gorgeous Revenue Stamps

Revenue stamps are the fine Persian rugs of stamp collecting and early American history and product taxation. You get to learn about a later Drake’s partner Demas Barnes who was a man of many talents. He served as a Congressman, trustee of the Brooklyn Bridge, director of the Long Island Railroad, and owner of proprietary medicine patents bought from various developers. The first private die stamps used by Barnes featured a facsimile of his signature at the bottom, with both his initials. They were issued in three denominations, all of which were issued in black from March of 1863 until early February, 1865. 723,184 of the one-cent, 202,650 of the two-cent and 1,619,483 of the four-cent stamps were issued on old paper. Look at these great examples below from rdhinstl.com.

Patrick Henry Drake and Demas Barnes formed a partnership in 1861 to manufacture and market Drake’s Plantation Bitters. In 1867 Barnes and Drake dissolved their partnership and Plantation Bitters was transferred to P.H. Drake & Company, with the dies to the horizontal Barnes stamps. The two-cent and four-cent dies were altered to include the new name and a picture of the distinctive log-cabin bottle Plantation Bitters was sold in. The two-cent stamps were issued from January, 1869 through June 21, 1871. 55,128 were printed on old paper. The four-cent stamps were issued from January, 1869 through March, 1875. 1,341,142 were printed on old paper, and 657,152 on silk paper. The copy above is on old paper. – rdhindstl.com


Reason #2: The Great Labels of the Drake’s Plantation Bitters

You learn from other great collectors such as Drake’s authority Brian Shultis: “This is the only black with gold lettering S.T. DRAKE’S PLANTATION BITTERS label I have ever seen. I thought it might be unique to the 5 log mold, but Micheal George had a 5 log with the normal white label (black lettering). This label has a log cabin pictured where the usual labels have a more Plantation type house. This is a real stumper for me. ANY INFO out there?”


And the #1 reason to collect Drake’s Plantation Bitters, you guessed it… Color! 


Reason #1: Drop Dead Killer Colors

Of course I am going to say color as I specialize in color runs! The Drake’s Plantation Bitters come in more colors than any other bottle I can think of. Did you know that an old timer I know swears he saw an advertisement in 1940 for a cobalt blue Drake’s? He always says, when I remind him, that he is still looking for the magazine in his thousands of old magazines stacked in his house and garage. I am also hoping that I win the $500 million Power Ball Lottery today. Better odds than finding a cobalt blue Drake’s?

Drake’s Plantation Bitters in a Killer window color run display at the Jeff Burkhardt home.

6-log Drake’s Plantation Bitters colors. I still need to add my blue-green, pink and emerald green examples.


Select Listings:

1827: Patrick Henry DrakeBirth Date: 22 Feb 1827, Birth Place: Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York, United States of America – U.S. Find a Grave Index
1849: Patrick Henry Drake, First Marriage Date: 10 Jun 1849, Father: Benjamin Drake, Spouse: Jane Eldridge Lewis, Child: Virginia Maria Drake, Julia Randall Drake – North American Family Histories
1850: P H Drake, [Patrick Henry DrakeAge:23, Birth Year: abt 1827, Birthplace: New York, Home in 1850: Ithaca, Tompkins, New York, USA, Gender: Male, Family Number: 556, Household Members: Maria Drake 53, P H Drake 23, Jane Drake 23, Mary Drake 24 – 1850 United States Federal Census
1854: Benjamin Drake [father], Physician, 151 E. Broadway – New York City Directory
186o: Patrick H Drake, Manufacturer, Age: 31, Birth Year: abt 1829, Gender: Male, Birth Place: New York, Home in 1860: Binghamton Ward 3, Broome, New York, Post Office: Binghamton, Dwelling Number: 456, Family Number: 487, Real Estate Value: 5000, Personal Estate Value: 1500, Household Members: Patrick H Drake 31, Jane E Drake 31, Virginia N Drake 10, Julia R Drake 3 – 1860 United States Federal Census
1861: Patrick Henry Drake and Demas S. Barnes formed a partnership in 1860 in New York City to manufacture and market Drake’s Plantation Bitters, initially called Plantation Toddy – History of Drug Containers and Their Labels By George B. Griffenhagen, Mary Bogard
1862: United States Patent Office (see above) – P. H. Drake of Binghamton, New York. Design for a Bottle – Specification forming part of a design No. 1538 dated February 18, 1862
1862: P H Drake and Co., Manufacturer, 47 Dey, Tax Year: 1862, State: New York – U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918
1863: P H Drake and Co., Manufacturer, 105 Liberty, Tax Year: 1863, State: New York – U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918
1867: Demas Barnes and Patrick Henry Drake dissolved their partnership and Plantation Bitters was transferred to P.H. Drake & Company
1867: P. H. Drake, Plantation Bitters, 21 Park Row, N.Y. – Brooklyn New York City Directory
1868: P. H. Drake & Co. [Patrick Henry Drake], Bitters, 21 Park Row, 105 Liberty – New York City Directory
1869: January 1st, 1869, P.H. Drake & Co., New York, sole right to manufacture and sell “SazeracAromatic Bitters (advertisement above) – Bitters Bottles
1870: P H Drake [Patrick Henry Drake], Age in 1870: 43, Manufacturer Of Bitters, Birth Year: abt 1827, Birthplace: New York, Dwelling Number: 117, Home in 1870: New York, Ward 21, District 16 (2nd Enum), New York, New York, Inferred Spouse: J E Drake [Jane Eldridge Lewis], Inferred Children: Mary E Drake , Virginia Drake, J E Drake, Household Members: Mary E Drake 25, Virginia Drake 19, J E Drake 14, P H Drake 43, J E Drake 42 – 1870 United States Federal Census
1870: P. H. Drake & Co. [Patrick Henry Drake], Bitters, 55 Park Place – New York City Directory
1872: P. H. Drake & Co., Bitters, 53 Park Place – Goulding’s Business Directory of New York
1877: P. H. Drake & Co. [Patrick Henry Drake], Patent Medicines, 53 Park Place – New York City Directory
1878: P. H. Drake & Co. [Patrick Henry Drake], Bitters, 53 Park Place – New York City Directory
1880: Patrick H. Drake, Chemist, Age: 57, Birth Date: Abt 1823, Birthplace: New York, Home in 1880: New York City, New York, New York, USA, Street: West 56th St, House Number: 38, Dwelling Number: 122, Relation to Head of House: Self (Head), Marital Status: Married, Spouse’s Name: Jane E. Drake, Father’s Birthplace: New York, Mother’s Birthplace: New York, Household Members: Patrick H. Drake 57, Jane E. Drake 51, Virginia Drake 28, Julia Drake 22 – 1880 United States Federal Census
1882: Patrick Henry DrakeDeath 4 Nov 1882, Death Place: Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Cemetery: Spring Forest Cemetery, Burial or Cremation Place: Binghamton, Broome County, New York – U.S. Find a Grave Index
1882: Patrick H Drake, Merchant, Age: 55, Birth Date: abt 1827, Birth Place: Ithaca, New York, Death Date: 4 Nov 1882, Death Place: Boston, Massachusetts, Hotel Brunswick, Cause: Acute Pericarditis, Father: Benjamin Drake, Mother: Maud Drake – Massachusetts Death Records
1883: After Drakes death business operated by William P. Ward, Proprietor
1884: P. H. Drake & Co.Patent Medicines, 81 Beekman – New York City Directory

About Ferdinand Meyer V

Ferdinand Meyer V is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and has a BFA in Fine Art and Graphic Design from the Kansas City Art Institute and School of Design. Ferdinand is the founding Principal of FMG Design, a nationally recognized design consultation firm. Ferdinand is a passionate collector of American historical glass specializing in bitters bottles, color runs and related classic figural bottles. He is married to Elizabeth Jane Meyer and lives in Houston, Texas with their daughter and three wonderful grandchildren. The Meyers are also very involved in Quarter Horses, antiques and early United States postage stamps. Ferdinand is the past 6-year President of the Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors and is one of the founding members of the FOHBC Virtual Museum.
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