Any Drink Called For

Any Drink Called For (also known as "the Magic Bar) is an effect where the magician pours from a single container different drinks requested by the audience.

A precursor to the effect was the Inexhaustible Bottle in which a large volume of liquid, much greater than the its capacity, is poured out.

David Devant performed it with a teakettle instead of a bottle, apparently at the suggestion of his wife by the 1890s. Another British magician, Owen Clark performed it at St. George’s Hall in London.

Charles Hoffman developed a whole routine around this effect as "Think-A-Drink Hoffman" performing at American vaudeville houses. Hoffman out did other magicians by pouring any drink merely thought of by a member of the audience.

According to historian Milbourne Christopher, De Roze poured martinis, Manhattans, beer, milk and soda from pitchers of crystal-clear water. Others magicians performing similar acts were Milton Woodward, Val Voltaine, Mystic Craig, Dell O'Dell, Danny Dew and Les Levante.

Hoffman filed a copyright for his patter under the title of "Think-A-Drink Hoffman." He successfully through the courts even stopped a "Think-A-Drink Count Maurice" from using the name and his patter, but not from eventually performing a similar act.

More recently, Any Drink Called For has been performed on television by Paul Daniels, Lance Burton and Steve Cohen.

References

• http://blog.chambermagic.com/curiosities/think-a-drink
• From Keg to Kettle by Jay Palmer in The Sphinx, December 1951.
• Drinks for Pitchers by Jay Palmer in Genii 1953 September.
• http://fl.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.%5CFL%5CFL3%5C1943%5C19431126_0040487.FL.htm/qx