But with Mama Mabel basically running the neighborhood of Harlem and being head of the family crime business, she wanted something different for Stokes. Stokes proved himself to be a great pianist and wanted to pursue a career. 'I just see it in my head.' ― Peter Stokes and Cornell Stokes In other words, a challenge coin is a shortcut to skip the small talk.'Damn, Cornell, you just playing that, like, out of thin air like that? You don't need to, uh, write it down?' “It’s nice to know what challenge coins are so you can cut to the chase, like, what is this symbol? Where did you get it? How long have you been carrying it around?” “It’s exciting when people show me a coin that they’re carrying on them because every one holds such a story,” Trufelman tells me over the phone. Trufelman and the fans of 99 Percent Invisible also use challenge coins, and being a part of the community of listeners and producers is part of the joy. “The coins are literal tokens of gratitude, of appreciation, or love, or sympathy.” “One of the meanings of the coins is made apparent in the act of giving or exchanging them,” Avery Trufelman explains on an episode of the podcast 99 Percent Invisible. People are brought into the fraternity of coin holders when someone else gives them a coin of their own. If the person did pull out a coin, then the person who challenged had to buy the drink. When a member of the squadron asked to see the coin and someone couldn’t produce one, that person had to buy a drink for the person who challenged them. Naturally, the tradition turned into a drinking game. It was just enough identification to keep the French from labeling him a German spy.Īfter the pilot made it back to his squadron, it became tradition for the other members to always have the medallion. The pilot took out his medallion that had his squadron insignia embossed on it. The French didn’t trust him, though, because he didn’t have identification. Over time, he escaped into French territory. They stripped him of all identification except a small leather pouch around his neck where his bronze medallion was. One of the pilots was shot down and taken hostage by the Germans. The lieutenant ordered bronze medallions and presented them to his entire unit of pilots to keep on their person. There’s not a single story of how challenge coins came about, but according to the website Carry The Challenge, challenge coins most likely started during World War I with a wealthy lieutenant. “The coin is your membership token, it’s proof of you being part of that community.”īut challenge coins aren’t unique to the bartending community. “You’re part of this exclusive club or family,” Mayer tells me. There are thousands of coins out there now for bartenders that are styled after events, specific bartender guilds, and influential figures like Salgar. Rather, it’s “a community thing first.” The bartender challenge coins have become a part of Fernet-Branca’s marketing and strategy, though. The Salgar Fernet-Branca challenge coin features a stylized drawing of Salgar holding one of his own challenge coins in front of his eye (when I ask Mayer to describe the coin to me, I hear the distinctive clink of metal as he sorts through what he estimates is some 50 coins in the drawer).įernet-Branca is not in the business of making specific challenge coins, Mayer tells me. The coin in honor of Louis Salgar holds special importance to Mayer because Salgar was one of Mayer’s employees. The coin just emphasizes you’re part of that.” “You are part of an industry and part of a community. When shown to another bartender, Fernet-Branca challenge coins operate like a secret handshake. They were started in 2010 by brothers Bret and Tore’ Kragerud (Bret is the owner of US Medallions, and Tore’ now works with Remy Cointreau). “When you have a coin or you go into a bar and you order Fernet-Branca, you are part of a family,” Scott Mayer, the director of brand advocacy and education for Fratelli Branca, tells me over the phone. After his death, friends described him as a major influence in the cocktail community, and as the type of person who draws in regulars with his personality alone.īut he’s remembered and honored by a secret talisman, too: a Fernet-Branca challenge coin.Ī challenge coin is a small medallion that signifies belonging to an organization. He was a musician, photographer, and an up-and-coming bartender in the trendy Wynwood district of Miami. On June 23, 2014, Louis Salgar was shot to death in his Miami home during a home invasion.

Handshaker cornell