The Lucien Gaudin Cocktail is a tribute to the skill and success of one of France’s national fencing champions. He first made his name in the very early twentieth century, went on to become European and world champion, then won two gold medals in the 1924 Olympics, and two more in 1928. A couple more silver medals made him one of the most decorated French medalists in the history of the Olympics.
Last time, contemplating Trader Vic’s Fog Cutter, I pondered the risks of combining multiple spirits—“too many spirits”—in cocktails, and the fine line between great cocktails and trainwrecks.
So it was an interesting moment for my first encounter with the Libertine.
Embarrassing name and all, today’s classic cocktail is the Monkey Gland.
It’s a good cocktail—in fact, it’s a delicious cocktail—but I’m trying to picture myself ordering one across a bar.
“Good evening, Miss, I’ll have a Monkey Gland, please. And keep them coming.” Continue reading “The Monkey Gland Cocktail”
The combination of gin and dry vermouth is a natural, and it’s so well entrenched in our thinking, thanks to the Martini, that modern cocktails hardly ever pair gin with sweet vermouth.
It wasn’t always that way. Take, for example, the Bijou.
When I first encountered Pip Hanson’s Oliveto, my reaction was one of wonderment, bordering on denial.
Olive oil? In a cocktail?
I have no idea how people dream these things up, but my incredulousness gave way to intrigue. I had to try this. Continue reading “Mixing with olive oil: the Oliveto cocktail”
Relatively few cocktails use honey as a sweetener. I suspect honey’s assertive and variable flavor is the likely reason—cane sugar’s simplicity and predictability make it a more attractive standard for amending cocktails.
But honey is one of Summer’s great delights, and there are some cocktails that include it.
The best known is the Prohibition-era’s Bee’s Knees. Continue reading “Mixing with honey: the Bee’s Knees”
I still remember the first time I filled out a tax form. I felt very official and bureaucratic; I was an important part of the American economy.
Of course, I didn’t make enough money that year to actually owe any taxes—I was filing to get all my withholding back. But still… Continue reading “Feeling bitter in the Bronx — the Income Tax Cocktail”
The Pendennis Club, the Jockey Club, the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, the Turf Club, the Pegu Club—any number of Old Boys Clubs have celebrated themselves with eponymous cocktails. For most, only the namesake drinks survive, and many of those are barely alive. Continue reading “The Clover Club Cocktail”
