One of my favorites, it’s the Last Word:
- 0.75 ounce Beefeater London Dry Gin
- 0.75 ounce Green Chartreuse
- 0.75 ounce Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
- 0.75 ounce lime juice
Shake all ingredients with ice, then strain into a coupe. No garnish.
This is one of my go-to cocktails, and I’m surprised it wasn’t included in Dr. Cocktail’s book. It is vintage, having been invented in Detroit in the 1920s, and it was forgotten for many years.
Continue readingNeed a refreshing drink? Try a Pimm’s Cup:
- 2.0 ounces Pimm’s #1 Gin Sling
- 7-Up, bitter lemon, lemonade, ginger ale or ginger beer.
In an iced highball glass, pour in the Pimm’s #1. Fill with 7-Up if you’re modern, bitter lemon or lemonade if you are British, or ginger ale (or ginger beer). Stir. Garnish with a long wedge of cucumber, and breathe deep as you sip.
It has been unseasonably warm here, and when I came in from working on the farm I wanted something cold, tall and refreshing. So I made a Pimm’s Cup.
Continue readingA cocktail I won’t make, it’s the Ritz Sidecar:
- 5 parts very old cognac
- 3 parts Cointreau
- 2 parts fresh lemon juice
Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, strain tremulously into a chilled cocktail glass, and stare at the treasure in rapt silence for a full fifteen seconds before quaffing.
By “very old cognac” he means at least pre-Phylloxera cognac. Phylloxera is an aphid-like insect that was brought to Europe from grape vines in America. The American vines had resistance to it, but the European vines were devastated. While I’ve never had cognac that old, I’ve been told that many people believe it was better than that produced today. The real cognac snob wants pre-Oidium cognac. Oidium, from what I can tell, was a form of powdery mildew that caused damage to French vines starting in 1854 before Phylloxera came along to finish the job.
Continue readingAptly named, it’s The Soother:
- 1.0 ounce cognac
- 1.0 ounce Jamaican rum (Coruba recommended)
- 0.5 ounce orange curaçao
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 teaspoon apple juice
- 1/2 teaspoon simply syrup (or Agave Nectar)
Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a goblet. Garnish with a fancy lemon twist.
There is a lot going on in this drink. It’s listed in a book called Old Waldorf Bar Days from 1931, but it wasn’t listed in the cocktail section but instead in one called “Fancy Potations & Otherwise”. In any case, it is tasty.
Continue readingIn ancient beliefs, the best place to end up is the Seventh Heaven:
- 1.75 ounces gin
- 0.50 ounce maraschino liqueur
- 0.25 ounce grapefruit juice
Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a sprig of mint.
Short and sweet, this is a nice little cocktail. It is similar to several others, such as the La Floridita Daiquiri (switch the gin for rum) and the Aviation (switch the grapefruit for lemon).
Continue readingNamed after a train, it’s the Twentieth Century Cocktail:
- 1.50 ounces gin
- 0.75 ounce Lillet Blanc
- 0.50 ounce light créme de cacao (or a scant splash, to taste)
- 0.75 ounce fresh lemon juice
Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
This cocktail appeared in the 1930s, so it is post-Prohibition, and the train it was named after has been called the Most Famous Train in the World.
Continue readingAn odd name for a Valentine’s Day drink, it’s The Widow’s Kiss:
- 1.50 ounces Calvados
- 0.75 ounce Chartreuse (Green was meant, but yellow mellows the drink a bit)
- 0.75 ounce Benedictine
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry.
There is a little story behind my choosing the make this drink just now. My friend Justin is the cocktail chef at the Oakleaf restaurant. He’s started this new theme night called “Throwback Thursdays” which features $8 vintage cocktails. He tends to have five recipes that have some sort of theme, be it “gin” or “election year”, etc.
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