22 SEPTEMBER 1967, Page 28

Cocktail time

Sir: I think that Ned Sherrin slightly misquoted a song in his interesting review of a book about Cole Porter (15 September). The first two lines in his quote from `Down in the depths on the ninetieth floor' run (at least in an early record of the song, sung by Ethel Merman): 'While the crowd at El Morocco punish the parquet/And at Twenty-one the couples clamour for more.'

`Twenty-one' is, of course, the famous restaurant club at 21 West 52nd Street (also known as 'Jack and Charlie's') run by the Kriendier family. The pinpointing of these evocative names seems more characteristic of Cole Porter than Mr Sherrin's vaguer version.