The Communist

Here’s another politically named cocktail, The Communist:

• 1.00 ounce gin
• 1.00 ounce orange juice
• 0.50 ounce cherry brandy (Cherry Heering)
• 0.75 ounce fresh lemon juice

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass.

This is another drink recipe saved from obscurity by Dr. Cocktail. The only history he provides is that it came from a 1933 pamphlet titled Cocktail Parade, and all the references I can find to this recipe point right back to Ted Haigh.

Barnum (Was Right) Cocktail

I hate the name, but I love the Barnum (Was Right) Cocktail:

• 2.0 ounces gin
• 1.0 ounce apricot-flavored brandy (the best is Marie Brizard’s Apry)
• 0.5 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Okay, so let’s get the name out of the way. It supposedly references the quote “There is a sucker born every minute” which is usually attributed to P.T. Barnum. It is meant to refer the fact that many cocktails with different names are very similar, and Dr. Cocktail states that this drink “appears to be a variation of the Pegu Club” which implies you are a “sucker” for thinking this is a different drink.

Pegu Club Cocktail

Gin and citrus go well together, like in the Pegu Club Cocktail:

• 1.50 ounces gin
• 0.50 ounce Cointreau
• 0.75 ounce fresh lime juice
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker and strain into a cocktail glass.

I decided to make this cocktail simply because it is referenced in another recipe that I plan to make next. It’s hot here at the moment so anything cold with “gin and juice” is welcome.

Fairbank Cocktail

Because I had crème de noyeaux I made the Fairbank Cocktail:

• 1.75 ounces gin
• 0.75 ounce dry vermouth
• 2 dashes orange bitters (Regan’s #6 recommended)
• 2 dashes crème de noyeaux

Stir in a mixing glass with ice, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.

One of the fun things about this little experiment is trying to locate all of the ingredients for these vintage cocktails. I bought a bottle of crème de noyeaux at [Binny’s][1] in Chicago, and I just wanted to point out to my two readers the effort I go to in order to get an ingredient that I will use on the order of “dashes”.

The Jupiter Cocktail

Ever feel like a martini but want something different? Try the Jupiter Cocktail:

• 1.50 ounces gin
• 0.75 ounce dry vermouth
• 1 teaspoon Parfait Amour
• 1 teaspoon orange juice

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass.

Okay, to be honest, I made this cocktail because I wanted to say “neener, neener – I have Parfait Amour and you don’t”.

(grin)

A couple of the drinks in the book call for it, and on a recent trip to DC I was able to buy some. In the US it is available from Marie Brizard, and it is a curaçao-based liqueur with other floral flavors.

The Income Tax Cocktail

In honor of April 15th, The Income Tax Cocktail:

• 1.50 ounces gin
• 0.75 ounce dry vermouth
• 0.75 ounce sweet vermouth
• Juice of 1/4 orange (squeezed right in the shaker)
• 2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange wheel.

The Income Tax cocktail is also known as the “Bronx with Bitters”. Every borough in New York City, except Stanton Island, has a cocktail named after it. The most famous, the Manhattan, is popular even today so it can’t be considered “forgotten”. I quite liked the Brooklyn and so I was looking forward to trying this one (the [Queens Cocktail][2] isn’t in the book but it looks like the Bronx with pineapple juice instead of orange juice).

The Aviation

One of the first vintage cocktails I ever made was The Aviation:

• 2.50 ounces gin
• 0.75 ounce fresh lemon juice
• 2 or 3 dashes maraschino liqueur

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist

I first heard about the Aviation last year while watching The Blacklist, an NBC television show. In one episode, Raymond Reddington takes agent Elizabeth Keen to Montreal where he orders an Aviation cocktail for her. The drink they present was a dark blue color, and he remarked “It’s from the ’20s, tastes like spring, doesn’t it?”