(This is the text of a booklet I gave with the bottles of Caroline's a few Christmases ago.)
Caroline Cogswell was the wife of Dr. Henry D. Cogswell, educator, philanthropist, inventor, and pioneer. A prominent family in late-nineteenth century San Francisco, the Cogswells were known for their good works, as well as for Dr. Cogswell's strong opinions and his forthright manner in expressing them.
The Cogswells were the founders of Cogswell Polytechnic College, and Henry Cogswell was tireless in overseeing the college's affairs. In his zeal to safeguard the college's financial well-being, he was known to march in during lectures and admonish the faculty for such unthrifty habits as discarding still-usable fragments of chalk. Dr. Cogswell was also a fervent temperance crusader. He believed that "great benefits could be derived by the masses from having fountains of pure drinking water at convenient places throughout a city," and that this would help turn common man away from the evils of stronger drink. To this end Dr. Cogswell erected a number of large bronze and granite drinking fountains wherever he was permitted in cities throughout the nation. Eschewing false modesty, most of these fountains featured a life-sized figure of Dr. Cogswell himself on top.
History tells us far less about Caroline Cogswell. One account reports only that she "ably seconded all her husband's efforts for the uplifting of his fellow-men" (except, we must assume, for the time that she sued him for misrepresenting some legal documents he persuaded her to sign, which she only later learned gave away their home and all their property to finance the founding of the college). We can only guess at what her daily life was like with the good doctor, or how she found the strength to carry on through all his noble endeavors.
Several years ago I was employed by Cogswell College. In preparation for the college's relocation to a new building, I was helping to sort out and pack the contents of a long-forgotten storeroom. There, in the back of a drawer in a dusty and ancient roll-top desk, I found a few faded sheets of paper. I was barely able to make out, in elegant and old-fashioned handwriting, the formula for a bracing and revitalizing tonic. The manuscript promised that this concoction would aid in the treatment of all manner of ills and maladies, including melancholia, hysteria, vapors, dyspepsia, female troubles, marital strife, legal difficulties, overwork, underpay, incompetent management, and general disgust with the current political situation. The document was unsigned, but I knew at once: Who could possibly be the author but Caroline Cogswell herself?
After much study and experimentation, we have at last managed to re-create Caroline's excellent tonic. Once again, its benefits are available to one and all, to help us meet the challenges and aggravations of our daily lives with a light heart and a firm resolve. It is our hope that this beverage, inspired by the college that bears her name, shall serve as a fitting memorial to Caroline Cogswell and the sterling example she set for us all.
(Then again, maybe I found the recipe in a 1981 issue of Gourmet magazine--my memory isn't as good as it once was. You'll just have to guess which is the real story.)
Caroline Cogswell's Celebrated Morning Tonic can be sipped in its natural state, or added to coffee, milk, or other beverages. It is also deliciously decadent over ice cream. Enjoy!
