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Actually "dessertspoonful" does appear in the single serving Cat's Eye Cocktail, but that's the only one. I don't know that the dessertspoon measure makes it an entirely open and shut case. I've got recipes in my black book that use the demi-spoons from coffee service for measures. Though it is usually dry ingredients, not bitters or the like. Could be a single source, though, the ingredients in those recipes are fairly similar. Definitely someone very fond of Orange Bitters. Another source I've been puzzling over lately is the missing South African bar book. I feel pretty certain that all the Caperitif containing recipes or those with names related to the Anglo Boer war have a single source. I also really doubt it is English, given how most of the battles and persons honored were not heroes of the Empire.

Orange Cocktail. (6 People) Take a glass and a half of fresh orange juice (3/4 oz Orange Juice) a dessert-spoonful of Orange Bitters (2 dashes Angostura Orange Bitters), 3 glasses of Gin (1 1/2 oz Plymouth Gin), a dessert-spoonful of sugar syrup (or a heaped spoonful of powdered sugar) (dash rich simple syrup) and nearly a glass of French Vermouth (1/2 oz Noilly Original Dry). Place the shaker on ice (in the fridge) for half an hour, and then shake with 2 or 3 large lumps of ice, so as not to produce too much water. Squeeze a piece of orange peel over each glass and serve. I actually really liked the Orange Cocktail. Seems like it would be pretty simple, sort of a Bronx without the Sweet Vermouth. The orange bitters give it a nice refreshing zest, making it a appealing aperitif cocktail. Not too much orange juice, also makes it a bit closer to a Martini, than a Bronx. The instructions to put it on ice for half an hour are puzzling. When I’ve run across other recipes like this in the book, bartenders often say things like, “there is no way this cocktail would ever be made in a bar.” I’ve also assumed the same, thinking these would be for home parties and the like. However, thinking about it a bit more this time, I wonder if this might be a pre-mixed cocktail. If it was served in a bar, the bartender might have it mixed, sitting on ice, and ready to chill and serve.

Opera Cocktail. 1/6 Maraschino. (1/2 of 3/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino) 1/6 Dubonnet. (1/2 of 3/4 oz Dubonnet Rouge) 2/3 Dry Gin. (1 1/2 oz Beefeater 24) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze orange peel on top. This version of the Opera is too sweet for me. Tastes like perfumey, wine candy. My first instinct was to increase the Dubonnet Rouge to 3/4 oz and reduce the Maraschino to a bar spoon. That version lacked zest. I think somewhere around a quarter ounce of Maraschino would be about right. A dash or two of Angostura bitters wouldn’t hurt, either. Received the Beefeater 24 from the folks promoting its launch in the US. Nice bottle, eh? It’s a pleasant gin, a bit more citrus forward than the regular Beefeater and perhaps a bit sweeter. I don’t get much flavor from the much ballyhooed inclusion of Japanese Green Tea. Perhaps the subtle character of green tea would show up in a simpler drink.

"Way out in the water, See it swimmin' ?" Everything about taste is so subjective and relative, it's hard to believe there is any consensus at all about what type of balance constitutes a proper sour. Or, even jigger pouring the same recipe, how little over or under pour can completely change the character of a drink. It's really fun to sit in the lounge at Heaven's Dog and try to guess which bartender made your drink.

Opening Cocktail. 1/4 Grenadine. (1/2 oz Homemade Grenadine) 1/4 Italian Vermouth. (1/2 oz Punt e Mes) 1/2 Canadian Club Whisky. (1 oz Alberta Premium Canadian Whisky) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. Again, this seemed a bit sweet without some bittering agent. Stretched the rules a bit and used Punt e Mes. It’s just about the only Sweet vermouth we use at Alembic. Blame Daniel Hyatt. He’s a bad influence. Like the “One Exciting Night” I enjoyed this more than I expected, with the Punt e Mes providing enough contrast and bitterness to counter the sweetness of the homemade grenadine. Enjoyable flavors too. Though if making it for myself again, I’d probably use 1 1/2 oz whiskey, 3/4 oz Punt e Mes, and a barspoon of Grenadine.

I shouldn't be so flippant, I suppose. We, here in CA, are ridiculously lucky with the quality of citrus we have, especially those of us lucky enough to have nearby farmers' markets. I've tried Blood Oranges in other parts of the country, and found them to be pretty uninspiring. The only conclusion I can come to is that Blood Oranges are both quite seasonal and do not travel well. Even here, I really only like Moro Blood Oranges in the early part of the season, when they are still quite tart. Later in the year, when that berry-funkiness takes over, I do not usually buy them.

Because they were in season at the time I made these drinks. I stray off the Savoy path all the time, as variation in modern spirits, liqueur, and aperitif production pretty much make it impossible to stay on it in any strict sense of the word. Unless I only used actual vintage spirits, I don't see how it would even be remotely possible to stay on the savoy path. And vintage aperitifs and liqueurs would likely be toast.

That's too bad. I guess the fresh blood oranges I buy from central valley farmers' at the market are better than the ones you get in NY.

Opal Cocktail (6 People) 3 Glasses Gin. (1 1/2 oz Plymouth Gin) 2 Glasses Orange Juice. (1 oz Blood Orange Juice) 1 Glass of Cointreau. (1/2 oz Cointreau) A little Sugar. (very little caster sugar) Add a little Orange-flower water. (drop orange flower water) Shake and serve. Of course, re-doing this for one by dividing 2 oz Glasses in half and then dividing in half again. Hey, I can enjoy a drink and a half. The Opal is not entirely unpleasant, though far more ginny and a bit harsher than would be popular in a modern cocktail. I think part of it might be the heat of the Cointreau. No idea why it is called the Opal, as even with regular orange juice this would bear no resemblance to those gold-green gems.

So, uh, Clark's drinks were how big then? 2 times 1/6 of 4.5 ounces? Gah! That is far beyond my feeble grasp of fractions. And, yeah, I'll take ml anyday.

Well, for the Savoy anyway, you're talking about 2 things. What were the meaures in the source material and what were the measures they were using at the Savoy Hotel. You've got all sorts of mixed up measures from the source material for the Savoy, from Jerry Thomas to Harry McElhone. Of contemporary bar books to the Savoy Cocktail Book, Robert Vermiere used volume measurements. His drinks were based on a half gill pre-dilution volume. This works out to approximately 2 1/4 oz. Another potentially relevant source is Eddie Clarke. He was an English bartender who followed Craddock as the head barman of the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel. In his book, "Shaking in the Sixties," his drinks are even smaller than Vermeire's, based on a volume of 2 "6-out" measures. A "6-Out" is 5/6 of an ounce. Thus his drinks work out under 2 oz, at around 1 2/3 oz pre-dilution. That's just a little small for me, so I usually go with something around Vermeire's half gill.

Going back through the topic, as Mr. Wondrich notes earlier, the Savoy recipe was probably lifted from the Harry's ABC of 1929. Both McElhone and "Jimmy" worked at Ciro's in London. In that, the recipe, for better or for worse, is: 2/3 Gin, 1/6 Curacao, 1 tsp. Rose's Lime, dash orange bitters, dash angostura. If you make it using 1 1/2 oz Gin, 1/2 of 3/4 oz Curacao, 1 generous tsp. fresh lime, and heavy dashes of bitters, it isn't bad. I even ran it past a coworker last night, making it with Bols Genever, and he called it, "Kind of good." A very nice feature for the Genever, anyway, and slightly similar to the Holland House. Of course, it is nothing like the modern citrus heavy (call it "harrington-esque") take on the Pegu.

Oom Paul Cocktail. 1 Dash Angostura Bitters. 1/2 Caperitif. (1 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth) 1/2 Calvados. (1 oz Germain-Robin Apple Brandy) Shake (I stirred) well and strain into cocktail glass. I’ve struggled with various substitutions for “Caperitif” over the course of these cocktails, and I don’t know if it’s just that I really like Dolin Blanc, but it was a very interesting foil for the flavors of the Apple Brandy in this relatively simple cocktail. Intrigued enough with the results, I remade it with Calvados Groult Reserve and enjoyed it even more. I’m not sure if I agree with one friend’s assertion that, “Calvados is always better,” but in this case it was definitely more interesting than the American Apple Brandy. If you like Apple Brandies as much as I do, this is a great cocktail to become familiar with their character. Another unusually named cocktail with Caperitif. I should know by now that pretty much any cocktail with some weird ass name and Caperitif is going to have something to do with the Anglo Boer Wars. From the Wikipedia entry for “Paul Kruger“: More information here: “Who Was Paul Kruger”

One Exciting Night Cocktail. 1 Dash Orange Juice. (1 Dash Blood Orange Juice) 1/3 French Vermouth. (3/4 oz Noilly Original Dry Vermouth) 1/3 Italian Vermouth. (3/4 oz Punt e Mes) 1/3 Plymouth Gin. (3/4 oz Plymouth Gin) Shake (I stirred) well and strain into Port Wine glass. Squeeze lemon peel on top. Frost edge of glass with castor sugar. As always, your life will be much easier if you frost the edge of the glass before straining the cocktail into it. However, faced with mandatory glass frosting in a not very tart cocktail, I opted for the more bitter flavors of Punt e Mes in this Bronx-like Cocktail. This at least provided some interesting contrasts between the bitter and sweet elements of the construction. Fairly enjoyable, but I would leave out the caster sugar, if making it for myself, even if it cut down on the excitement for the evening.

Wow, 2+ years can be a long time. Currently investigating the Pegu Club Cocktail. Making the Savoy recipe with dry gin, I was unhappy. It just didn't make flavor sense to me. On the other hand, I tried the Savoy recipe with Bols Genever and, uh, yeah, that sort of makes sense, especially with a bit of a heavy hand on the bitters. Well, more than dry gin, anyway. Maybe? Or unlikely?

Picked up a new bottle of Torani Amer. It does have better orange flavor. However, they are still using the same low grade grain neutral spirits. Tastes like orange flavored aftershave.

Olympic Cocktail. 1/3 Orange Juice. (1 oz Fresh Moro Blood Orange Juice) 1/3 Curacao. (1 oz Bols Dry Orange Curacao) 1/3 Brandy. (1 oz Dudognon Cognac) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. A pleasant enough beverage, it was a bit of a waste of this rather nice Cognac. Between the Blood Orange Juice and the Curacao, I could have been using Korbel in this instead of the Dudognon. Cocktails like this are a good reason to keep a couple bottles around. In any case, the Olympic beats the hell out of a Screwdriver.

I like Linie a lot, myself, but it may be some sort of genetic predisposition, being Norwegian and all. As far as American Aquavit goes, I find House Spirits Krogstad to be a bit heavy on the Star Anise for my taste and mixing preferences. But I like all the other North Shore products I've tried, so I'm willing to give it a whirl. Sadly, no Aquavit cocktails in the Savoy. Really pretty excited about the Ransom Old-Tom, as I've heard very good things about it from friends in the Pacific Northwest.

From the Dirty Sue Website: So, yeah, it is bottled olive brine. Still no idea about the production process, as they don't detail it.

When pressed, an olive will give oil, not juice, right? Is there such a thing as olive juice? ← When olives are pressed you get a combination of liquids, crushed solids, and oil. Part of the process of olive oil production is separating the oil from the other stuff. No idea if the olive oil production process has anything to do with the product Dirty Sue markets as "Olive Juice".

Oh fine, you've guilted me into violating my self imposed ban on new bottles and I've ordered Wiser's Very Old and Canadian Club 12 from Binny's in Chicago. Plus some North Shore Aquavit and Ransom Old Tom. Will report back.

As is typical, the original recipe in McElhone calls for Rye, not Canadian Whisky. It was only the editors (or bartenders) of the Savoy who swapped in "Canadian Club". Whether they made that swap because American Rye Whiskey was unavailable during prohibition, because Canadian Whisky was preferred behind the bar at the Savoy for some reason, or because smoother blended whiskeys were becoming more fashionable at the time, I cannot say. Folks who have tried vintage samples of Canadian Whisky tell me that the much of the modern stuff is much smoother. Modern Canadian brands they suggest for "accurate" substitution include the Canadian Club 12 year and Wiser's 18 Year. Unfortunately, neither of these is easily available to me.

Olivette Cocktail 2 Dashes Syrup. (Scant barspoon Rich Simple Syrup) 2 Dashes Orange Bitters. (Angostura Orange Bitters) 3 Dashes Absinthe. (Verte de Fougerolles) 2/3 Glass Plymouth Gin. (1 1/2 oz Plymouth Gin) Shake (I stirred) well and strain into cocktail glass with olive and squeeze lemon peel on top. More or less just an Improved or Fancy Plymouth Gin Cocktail, this is some pretty serious business. Lesser men need not apply. If you have an appreciation for slightly adulterated straight spirits, on the other hand, this is not bad at all. Do give it a nice long stir, however, make it small, and drink it while it is very cold.

Well, I suppose just about any possible variation on the Martini is perfect to someone! But on a practical level, what do you do when a friend or customer asks for a "dirty" Martini? Try to talk them out of it? Even though we don't use our fingers to grab olives at any of the establishments I work in, I just can't bring myself to dump olive brine into a drink. One person I work with just suggested going a bit heavy on the orange bitters and vermouth, saying that really most people have never even had anything close to a Fifty-Fifty or even a good well made Martini. On some level, I suppose a Fifty-Fifty is sort of like a dirty martini. And at the same time, tell them, "try this," and then tell them you'll take it back if they don't like it?

The general consensus was Hercules #2 was too bitter and would be better with a stronger spice component. I also thought it would benefit from a richer wine base. This version attempts to address those issues. Hercules #3 1 Stick Cassia Cinnamon, crushed 2 tsp. Coriander Seed, crushed 8 Whole Cloves, crushed 1 tsp. Quinine Powder 1 tsp Gentian Root 1/4 Cup Yerba Mate 1 bag peppermint tea Rind 2 Seville Oranges Rind 1/2 Valencia Orange 1/2 cup Raw Sugar 750ml Quady Elektra Orange Muscat 1/4 cup Osocalis Brandy METHOD: Combine spices, peel, yerba mate and wine. Heat to 140 degrees. Add mint and allow to steep for 15 minutes. Filter through chinois and add Brandy. Let stand for at least a day. Pour liquid off of sediment through coffee filter.