Maurice Hegeman

Maurice Hegeman (c. 1848 – February 1913) was an American actor, playwright, and librettist who worked in musical theatre on Broadway and on the road, and who is also credited with inventing the Brooklyn cocktail. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, he began his professional life as a stage manager for an opera company in that city before relocating to Brooklyn, New York, where he pursued a career as a Broadway performer.

Hegeman first gained notice in New York theatre as the author of Gay New York, a road musical for which he wrote the book and lyrics. Starring Dan Mason, the production launched its tour through the midwestern and eastern United States in the autumn of 1905 and reached Broadway's Murray Hill Theatre in February 1906. His work as a playwright and lyricist on that project established his reputation in the New York theatre world.

His Broadway performing career ran from 1908 to 1912 and included several productions associated with impresario Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. Hegeman appeared in Ludwig Engländer's musical Miss Innocence at the New York Theatre during the 1908–1909 season, taking on the triple roles of the Marquis de Chabert, Schmalz, and Dr. Charcot. He subsequently appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1909 and the Ziegfeld Follies of 1910. His Ziegfeld credits also included The Pink Lady, in which he played Dr. Mazou in both the 1911 production and its 1912 revival. His other Broadway credit was the play The Lady.

Outside the theatre, Hegeman worked as a bartender at Schmidt Cafe, located near the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge. In 1910 he created the original version of the Brooklyn cocktail there, a drink composed of hard cider, absinthe, and ginger ale.

At the time of his death, Hegeman was touring nationally in The Pink Lady alongside his wife, actress Alice Hegeman (1880–1970). He died in St. Louis, Missouri during the final week of February 1913, at approximately age 65, from complications following surgery.