‘Joke’ cocktail chart from 1974 found in archives

A comprehensive cocktail chart created for the US Forest Service in 1974 has been found among the agency’s historic agricultural archives and is thought to be an “in-house” joke.

It is not known how Ketcham’s work, which was commissioned and published by the US Forest Service, made it into the archives

The Cocktail Construction Chart depicts a guide to creating classic cocktails such as a Martini or Manhattan, and was recently uncovered in a section of the National Archives Catalogue.

It is believed to have been created by late Forest Service Region 8 Engineer Cleve “Red” Ketcham, whose signature appears at the bottom of the work.

It is not known how Ketcham’s work, which was commissioned and published by the US Forest Service – an agency of the US Department of Agriculture that administers the nation’s forests and grasslands – made it into the archives in the first place.

Sharon Phillips, program management analyst for Region 8, told Esquire: “I wouldn’t say he passed it along to the staff, because at that time, he probably did that as maybe a joke, something he did for fun.

“It probably got mixed up with some legitimate stuff and ended up in the archives.”

Ketcham’s son, Ray, agreed that the work was more than likely a joke drawing. He added: “I would not be a bit surprised, if you really got to looking, if you found a whole bunch more of those in-house jokes that he may or may not have had something to do with.”

“The funny thing is, I don’t remember him drinking much.”