Stomping Through the "Savoy" (2007–2008)

[jazzyjeff]

The correct spelling is McElhone. It seems to be one that is often written down incorrectly.

[eje]

Fox Trot Cocktail

The Juice of 1/2 Lemon or 1 Lime. (Juice 1/2 lemon)

2 Dashes Orange Curacao. (1/2 teaspoon Luxardo Triplum)

Bacardi Rum. (1 1/2 oz Flor de Cana Extra Dry)

(1/2 oz Inner Circle Green Rum)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

The "character rum" which I had previously been deploying in cocktails calling for Bacardi rum was a flop here. I added too much of it for such a lightly sweetened and flavored cocktail. Just use the Flor de Cana, or keep it down to a dash.

Another proto-Margarita?

[eje]

The Frankenjack Cocktail

1/3 Gin. (3/4 oz North Shore No. 6)

1/3 French Vermouth. (1/2 of 3/4 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth)

1/6 Apricot Brandy. (3/4 oz Haus Alpenz Blumme Marillen Apricot Eau-de-Vie)

1/6 Cointreau. (1/2 of 3/4 oz Cointreau)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

About a million years ago (OK less than a year) we made this very same cocktail as the Claridge Cocktail. At the time, there was some speculation about whether Apricot Liqueur or Apricot Eau-de-Vie was the appropriate "Apricot Brandy". Knowing the Frankenjack was coming up eventually, I put off giving it a try.

I also asked Matt Rowley what he thought the appropriate substance would be. He thought neither distilled Apricot Eau-de-Vie or imported Apricot Liqueur were particularly likely for a prohibition era cocktail. He felt, more likely, it was a home made concoction made from rehydrated dried apricots macerated in alcohol and sweetened enough to take the edge off.

This time, though, I was going to use the Apricot Eau-de-Vie. I gave the Blume Marillen a smell, and tried to imagine which gin would go best with it. Tanqueray was handy and didn't seem promising, nor did No. 209. Aviation seemed kind of close. Then I checked the smell of a recently purchased bottle of North Shore Distillery Gin No. 6. "Ding! Ding! Ding!" as Mario Batali would say.

Initially, I didn't really have a lot of hope that this cocktail would be very good, but the unusual flavors of the No. 6 work really well with the Apricot Eau-de-Vie. The No. 6 is not at all a traditionally flavored gin, but it has some floral-fruit flavors and smells that really complement the Blume Marillen. The flavor of the cocktail brought back real or imagined memories of some half remembered European hard candy from my youth. I was actually kind of chortling as I was tasting it.

I think a dash of orange bitters, a decent cherry garnish, and this would be a real winner of a cocktail.

According to Judge Jr, the Frankenjack was:

Invented by the two proprietors of a very, very well-known speakeasy in New York City.

Hmmm.... I wonder if they were Frank and Jack of the legendary Frank and Jack's?

From "On the Town in New York" by Michael Batterberry:

More typical was Frank and Jack's, a jolly place where there were generally a hundred people jammed into a tiny kitchen barely large enough to hold three tables.  Among those struggling for air and room enough to laugh might be Jimmy Durante, Pat Rooney, or Peggy Hopkins Joyce.  It was Frank and Jack who perfected the gambit of getting rid of one drunk by asking him to assist another out the door.

And, uh, oops! I didn't realize until I wrote up this post, that I had gotten the amounts for the Vermouth and Apricot Brandy flipped. Well, damn it, it looks like I have made a new cocktail. Maybe the FrankErikJack?

[thirtyoneknots]

Fox Trot Cocktail

The Juice of 1/2 Lemon or 1 Lime. (Juice 1/2 lemon)

2 Dashes Orange Curacao. (1/2 teaspoon Luxardo Triplum)

Bacardi Rum. (1 1/2 oz Flor de Cana Extra Dry)

(1/2 oz Inner Circle Green Rum)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

The "character rum" which I had previously been deploying in cocktails calling for Bacardi rum was a flop here.  I added too much of it for such a lightly sweetened and flavored cocktail.  Just use the Flor de Cana, or keep it down to a dash.

Another proto-Margarita?

←

If it just specifies 'Bacardi Rum' and you're wanting to add a little more 'character' then maybe try the Flor de Cana 4 year Gold, which would, I imagine, come close to approximating the old Bacardi Carta Oro: The other Bacardi Rum.

[bostonapothecary]

The Frankenjack Cocktail

1/3 Gin. (3/4 oz North Shore No. 6)

1/3 French Vermouth. (1/2 of 3/4 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth)

1/6 Apricot Brandy. (3/4 oz Haus Alpenz Blumme Marillen Apricot Eau-de-Vie)

1/6 Cointreau. (1/2 of 3/4 oz Cointreau)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

About a million years ago (OK less than a year) we made this very same cocktail as the Claridge Cocktail.  At the time, there was some speculation about whether Apricot Liqueur or Apricot Eau-de-Vie was the appropriate "Apricot Brandy".  Knowing the Frankenjack was coming up eventually, I put off giving it a try.

I also asked Matt Rowley what he thought the appropriate substance would be.  He thought neither distilled Apricot Eau-de-Vie or imported Apricot Liqueur were particularly likely for a prohibition era cocktail.  He felt, more likely, it was a home made concoction made from rehydrated dried apricots macerated in alcohol and sweetened enough to take the edge off.

This time, though, I was going to use the Apricot Eau-de-Vie.  I gave the Blume Marillen a smell, and tried to imagine which gin would go best with it.  Tanqueray was handy and didn't seem promising, nor did No. 209.  Aviation seemed kind of close.  Then I checked the smell of a recently purchased bottle of North Shore Distillery Gin No. 6.  "Ding! Ding! Ding!" as Mario Batali would say.

Initially, I didn't really have a lot of hope that this cocktail would be very good, but the unusual flavors of the No. 6 work really well with the Apricot Eau-de-Vie.  The No. 6 is not at all a traditionally flavored gin, but it has some floral-fruit flavors and smells that really complement the Blume Marillen.  The flavor of the cocktail brought back real or imagined memories of some half remembered European hard candy from my youth.  I was actually kind of chortling as I was tasting it.

I think a dash of orange bitters, a decent cherry garnish, and this would be a real winner of a cocktail.

According to Judge Jr, the Frankenjack was:

Invented by the two proprietors of a very, very well-known speakeasy in New York City.

Hmmm.... I wonder if they were Frank and Jack of the legendary Frank and Jack's?

From "On the Town in New York" by Michael Batterberry:

More typical was Frank and Jack's, a jolly place where there were generally a hundred people jammed into a tiny kitchen barely large enough to hold three tables.  Among those struggling for air and room enough to laugh might be Jimmy Durante, Pat Rooney, or Peggy Hopkins Joyce.  It was Frank and Jack who perfected the gambit of getting rid of one drunk by asking him to assist another out the door.

And, uh, oops! I didn't realize until I wrote up this post, that I had gotten the amounts for the Vermouth and Apricot Brandy flipped. Well, damn it, it looks like I have made a new cocktail. Maybe the FrankErikJack?

←

i like diluting gin with eau de vie to make something like a martini... you get a good oppertunity to highlight the differenciation of gins... so apparently when i tried to make something like a vieux carre blanc our mixologist fore fathers were already covering it quite well... i only wonder if we are not putting enough focus on the vermouth? some dry vermouths seem to be woodier and some seem to be fresher in flavor...

[eje]

i like diluting gin with eau de vie to make something like a martini... you get a good oppertunity to highlight the differenciation of gins... so apparently when i tried to make something like a vieux carre blanc our mixologist fore fathers were already covering it quite well... i only wonder if we are not putting enough focus on the vermouth? some dry vermouths seem to be woodier and some seem to be fresher in flavor...

←

My personal feeling is, during prohibition, gin was probably used more as a lengthener than anything else. Pretty much any other aspect of the cocktail was probably more expensive than the gin, especially if we're talking about gin cold compounded from flavor essences or spices and grain alcohol.

Sort of like vodka is used today. I guess it just didn't occur to barkeeps of the time that someone would want flavor free booze in their drink...

edit - That was kind of flip. Most likely, the grain alcohol was of such low quality, that it would probably be undrinkable without at least some flavorings.

Edited February 18, 2008 by eje (log)

[eje]

Frank Sullivan Cocktail

1/4 Glass Lemon Juice. (3/4 oz Lemon Juice)

1/4 Glass Kina Lillet. (3/4 oz Cocchi Americano)

1/4 Glass Cointreau. (3/4 oz Cointreau)

1/4 Glass Brandy. (3/4 oz Cerbois VSOP Armagnac)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

I guess Frank preferred Brandy in his Corpse Reviver No. 2!

This is a fine, light cocktail, but I have to admit I really missed the dash of Absinthe.

Not sure entirely which Frank Sullivan this was named after, but there was an American journalist, humorist, and author associated with the New Yorker magazine for much of the 20th Century with that name. Sullivan also had some associations with the Algonquin Round table of the 1920s. According to this website, Guide to the Frank Sullivan Collection, he was a Cornell Grad and corresponded with the likes of P.G. Woodhouse, E.B. White, James Thurber, and even James Cagney and Eleanor Roosevelt(!).

Seems like you might need a drink after composing the New Yorker Christmas Poem for half of the 20th Century!

[eje]

The French “75” Cocktail

2/3 Gin. (1 1/2 oz Aviation Gin)

1/3 Lemon Juice (3/4 oz Lemon Juice)

1 Spoonful Powdered Sugar. (1 tsp. Caster Sugar)

(Shake with ice? - eje) Pour into tall glass containing cracked ice and fill up with Champagne (Louis Bouillot, Cremant de Bourgogne Rose ''Perle d'Aurore'').

Hits with remarkable precision.

Visually quite attractive to use a Rose Champagne ...errr... Cremant de Bourgogne here.

The French "75" and 75 cocktail have been discussed in some detail in the following eGullet topic:

Frank Meier & the "Soixante-Quinze", Frank, of the Ritz, had a 75 cocktail.

Long story short, there are two cocktails, the "75" Cocktail, (grenadine, Gin, Calvados, and lemon juice. served up.) and the French "75" cocktail, (Gin, sugar, lemon, crushed ice. Top up with champagne.) Both are apparently named after a French field gun of some sort used during World War I.

I guess the most common mis-conception about the French "75" is that it is made with Brandy or Cognac instead of Gin. On more than one occasion, out in bars, I've heard it ordered that way.

The other big thing is ice or no ice. Judge Jr., Patrick Gavin Duffy, and the Savoy Cocktail Book, all say cracked ice in a tall glass. It seems like it is more common these days to skip the ice and just build it in a champagne flute. I've made them without ice in the past, and thought the over ice version this time was quite refreshing. It seems like it would be nice on a hot day.

I shook the gin, lemon, and sugar with ice before adding it to the iced glass, because it seemed kind of weird not to mix them. I guess you could just dump the sugar in there? Or mix them in the bottom of the tall glass a bit before adding the ice?

Judge Jr., in his book, "Here's How" makes the illuminating connection, quoted below, noting that this is nothing more than a Deluxe Tom Collins.

This drink is really what won the War for the Allies:  2 jiggers Gin; 1 part lemon juice; a spoonful of powdered sugar; cracked ice.  Fill up the rest of a tall glass with champagne!  (If you use club soda instead of champagne, you have a Tom Collins.)

[thirtyoneknots]

Both are apparently named after a French field gun of some sort used during World War I.

←

Just a few details on the gun and why this is one of the most subtly clever drink names in history. In case anyone is interested.

The Modele 1897 75mm was the first piece of field artillery in history to have a hydraulic recoil dampening system, meaning that unlike all previous wheeled guns which had to be relaid (aimed) after every shot since the recoil pushed the carriage back, the Mle 1897 could simply be reloaded and fired again with reasonable expectations of actually hitting something. Rates of fire and accuracy increased dramatically, from around 2 rds/minute to over 15 (sustained) from a well-trained gun crew. So here you have for the first time a means of rapidly delivering large-bore firepower downrange in large quantity. As anyone who's ever wasted an afternoon drinking this beverage can attest, the comparison is very apt.

One of my favorite drinks, too.

-Andy

Edited February 21, 2008 by thirtyoneknots (log)

[eje]

Froth Blower Cocktail

The White of 1 Egg.

1 Teaspoonful Grenadine. (homemade)

1 Glass Plymouth Gin. (2 oz Tanqueray Gin)

Shake well and strain into port wine glass.

As someone who is interested in technique, egg whites frustrate me. Sometimes you get a good amount, and sometimes they don't work. This isn't totally shabby, I suppose. A good eighth to a quarter inch. Still, darn that Thomas Waugh, currently at Alembic. I don't know how he consistently gets an half inch or more every time he makes an egg white drink.

The drink is, well, gin and egg whites with a touch of grenadine, which seemed enough of an epitath until I googled "froth blower" and discovered the Ancient Order of Froth Blowers or AOFW.

"A sociable and law abiding fraternity of absorbitive Britons who sedately consume and quietly enjoy with commendable regularity and frequention the truly British malted beverage as did their forbears and as Brittons ever will, and be damned to all pussyfoot hornswogglers from overseas and including low brows, teetotalers and MP`s and not excluding nosey parkers, mock religious busy bodies and suburban fool hens all of which are structurally solid bone from the chin up."

Whose slogan, "Lubrication in Moderation," seems as apt today as ever.

[eje]

Just a few details on the gun and why this is one of the most subtly clever drink names in history. In case anyone is interested.

[...]

←

Wow, Andy that's cool information. Thanks for writing it up.

Ice or no ice for you in the French "75"?

[thirtyoneknots]

Just a few details on the gun and why this is one of the most subtly clever drink names in history. In case anyone is interested.

[...]

←

Wow, Andy that's cool information. Thanks for writing it up.

Ice or no ice for you in the French "75"?

←

I used to do them in a flute, but after trying them the other way I realised I really like mine tall and strong, and so they need ice. I typically do something resembling 2 oz gin, juice of a lemon or a little less, scant tsp sugar or simple, shake and strain into glass 2/3 full of largeish ice cubes and top with whatever sparkler is on hand. Cava is the frugal (and tasty) choice. I can usually get 5-6 drinks from a bottle, making about 3 drinks each for you and a friend, and by the end you're both thoroughly pickled and having a fine old time.

The French 75, being of military origin, should be used with utmost caution by civilians

-Andy

[eje]

Froupe Cocktail

l Teaspoonful Benedictine.

1/2 Italian vermouth. (generous 1 oz Martini & Rossi Rosso)

1/2 Brandy. (Generous 1 oz Cerbois VSOP Armangac)

Stir well and strain into cocktail glass.

Another Savoy typo, it appears. Robert Vermeire calls this the "Fioupe Cocktail" and states, "Monsieur Fioupe is a familiar figure known all along the Riviera, by everybody, from prince to cabman."

Sadly, I can't find any more information than that regarding Monsieur Fioupe.

The cocktail, though, being basically a Brandy version of the Bobby Burns, is right in my comfort zone. Yum.

[eje]

Full House Cocktail

1/4 Swedish Punch. (generous 1/2 oz homemade, eas recipe)

1/4 French Vermouth. (generous 1/2 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth)

1/2 Bacardi Rum. (generous 1 oz Flor de Cana Extra Dry)

Shake (stir, please) well and strain into cocktail glass. (Squeeze Lemon Peel over glass.)

You may recognize this as the Four Flush Cocktail without the grenadine. I suppose, nominally less sweet than that ridiculously sweet cocktail.

I dunno, as much as I preferred the flavor of the homemade punch, this cocktail seemed to show an unpleasant aspect of the Flor de Cana Rum, pumping up some of the harsher alcohol smells and tastes as I finished the drink.

I'm going to have to try this again side by side with commercial punch. Maybe the next time I have low blood sugar.

[eje]

Well, that's it for "F".

Highlights included:

Fair and Warmer a Rum Manhattan.

Fairbanks Cocktail (No. 2) a fancy martini variation with a touch of almond.

Fancy Cocktail Champange or Chicago Cocktail variation.

Met with the excellent and very cool Jennifer Colliau at The Slanted Door where the highlights included the Fairbanks Cocktail (No. 1) and Jennifer's recipe for the Reunion Cooler.

Who can argue with a well made Fifty-Fifty?

A heated discussion about Sirop-de-Citron and Kola Tonic.

Another pleasant Rum Manhattan, the Fluffy Ruffles, which I still dare any man in the audience to order.

An inarguable Rob Roy variation called the Flying Scotchman Cocktail.

One of my new favorites, a "perfect" Martini called the Fourth Degree Cocktail.

Interesting take on the Frankenjack which turned out far more tasty than it had any right to be.

The classic and delicious French "75" Cocktail.

Last, but not least, a Brandy "Bobby Burns" called the Froupe/Fioupe.

[jmfangio]

Two questions, heading into "G".

Any new info on Hercules? I just looked at my copy of Savoy and noticed that it appears early on.

And I don't know if I should be encouraging you to skip ahead too often, but Friday seems like too good an opportunity to pass on making the Leap Year cocktail.

[eje]

Gangadine Cocktail

1 Teaspoonful Framboise Syrup. (1 tsp Monin Raspberry Syrup)

1/3 Oxygenie Cusenier. (3/4 oz Kubler 53)

1/3 White Mint. (3/4 oz Brizard Creme de Menthe)

1/3 Gin. (3/4 oz Beefeater's Gin)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Wow, is this a pink, girly, and deadly drink. I'd give it points right there along with the Between the Sheets. I picked the Kubler, as previously I'd tried it in a cocktail with mint and thought it quite good. Also good here and didn't muddy up the drink's color like a Verte Absinthe would.

I've not turned up anything regarding the name, "Gangadine." Might be a last name.

Oxygénée Cusenier was one of the late-pre ban French Absinthe. It was Oxygenated, supposedly to increase its purity and make it a more healthful beverage. I guess this was an attempt to combat the increasingly strident hue and cry against Absinthe as a beverage in the early 1900s.

[slkinsey]

I've not turned up anything regarding the name, "Gangadine."  Might be a last name.

I'm guessing it's a mispelling of "Gangadin"/"Gangadeen" -- both of which turn up plenty of google hits.

I'm also guessing this name was corrupted to "Gunga Din" by Kipling in his famous poem.

Edited February 28, 2008 by slkinsey (log)

[perfumekev]

Holy Crap!

where have I been for the last year !

Erik this is truly amazing all this work that you have done I know we exchaged a few emails about this, but I haven't been reading the forum lately.

All I have to say is wow, and like I told you before you definatley need to complile all this info into a book or something!

[eje]

Thanks Kev... Well, it's not exactly "work".

From what I can tell, I've made approximately 300 cocktails so far.

If I am on page 40 out of 136, how many cocktails does that say the book contains?

136/40 is 3.4.

3.4*300=1020 total.

Is my math right?

Damn... And I always said I was glad I wasn't making cocktails from a book like, "1001 Cocktails."

So only 720 cocktails to go. Sigh...

[eje]

Two questions, heading into "G".

Any new info on Hercules?  I just looked at my copy of Savoy and noticed that it appears early on.

And I don't know if I should be encouraging you to skip ahead too often, but Friday seems like too good an opportunity to pass on making the Leap Year cocktail.

←

Nothing new on Hercules. My best advice at this time is Dubonnet Rouge or Lillet Rouge with a dash of Absinthe. I will note that my Dubonnet rouge/steepsinthe mixture has significantly changed in character. The spice has receded into the background and the flavor of the Yerba Mate has really moved forward. I think I'm going to have to add some sugar.

If every blogger and their dog hadn't made and written about the Leap Year Cocktail today, I'd think about it.

Eric Felten had a nice article in the Wall Street Journal this week:

The Bissextile Beverage

One way to revive the date is to associate it with the drinking of a truly fine intercalary cocktail -- the Leap Year, a drink invented by the great American barman Harry Craddock, who rode out Prohibition by plying his trade at London's Savoy Hotel. Broadway gossip-columnist Karl K. Kitchen caught up with Craddock in the summer of 1928 and praised the bartender as a "silver-haired genius." Anyone could knock out Martinis and double-Martinis, Kitchen wrote, but Craddock could be counted on for something out of the ordinary: "It has always been his idea to provide cocktails for, as he terms them, special occasions."

[eje]

Gasper Cocktail

(6 People)

3 Glasses Gin. (1 oz Beefeater's Gin)

3 Glasses Absinthe. (1 oz Marteau Verte Classique)

Add, if required, a very little sugar. (1 tsp. Depaz Cane Syrup)

Shake (stir, please) well and serve.

In stark contrast to the Gangadine Cocktail, this is not a girly Absinthe cocktail!

In fact, if there was ever a cocktail that could use a good long time "cooking" on the ice, this is it.

I do have to wonder if the same brilliant, and evil, mixological mind which was behind the Choker Cocktail was also behind the Gasp-er.

[eje]

Gazette Cocktail

1 Teaspoonful Syrup. (1 tsp. Depaz Cane Syrup)

1 Teaspoonful Lemon Juice

1/2 Italian Vermouth. (1 oz Martini & Rossi Rosso)

1/2 Brandy. (1 oz Cerbois VSOP Armangac)

Shake (stir?) well and strain into cocktail glass.

Could go either way, shaking or stirring with this one.

A bit odd and pretty OK as cocktails go. Don't know of too many cocktails that combine sweet vermouth and citrus, aside from the Bronx. As with the Bronx, I found it significantly improved with a drop or two of Aromatic Bitters (Bitter Truth in this case).

[slkinsey]

Don't know of too many cocktails that combine sweet vermouth and citrus, aside from the Bronx.

You're right that it's not common, but there are a few classics: The Blood and Sand and Satan's Whiskers cocktails come immediately to mind. These both include orange juice rather than lemon or lime, which is interesting. There's a version of the El Floridita that includes sweet vermouth along with Cuban-style white rum, lime juice, crème de cacao and grenadine. The Palm Beach Special is a nice one, with gin, grapefruit juice and sweet vermouth. I can't think of any notweorthy ones with lemon juice and sweet vermouth.

[David Santucci]

I can't think of any notweorthy ones with lemon juice and sweet vermouth.

←

The recently-mentioned Leap Year, though the lemon juice content is minimal. Other than that, I guess the Harvard would qualify as noteworthy, though I admit I've never made one. Pretty much the same as the Gazette, but with bitters. In fact, the Gazette is the name of the Harvard paper, no? Could be a hint as to the origins of this one.

Another good one with sweet vermouth and lime juice is the Jersey Lightning.