Stomping Through the "Savoy" (2007–2008)

[eje]

Gimblet Cocktail

1/4 Lime Juice. (3/4 oz Lime Juice)

3/4 Dry Gin. (2 1/4 oz Gin)

(Drop 1/2 lime shell into shaker)

Shake well and strain into medium size glass, (letting some ice go into the glass as you strain); fill up with soda water.

OK, I admit the tartness of this scared me a bit. So I added a bare dash of Maraschino. It would probably be perfectly fine without. The hint of added complexity was nice, though.

I could definitely see enjoying this bracing refresher on a hot, lazy summer afternoon.

[eje]

Gimlet Cocktail

1/2 Burrough's Plymouth Gin. (1 1/2 oz Plymouth Gin)

1/2 Rose's Lime Juice Cordial. (3/4 oz Rose's Lime, 3/4 oz Fresh Lime Juice)

Stir, and serve in same glass.

Note: Can be iced if desired.

Yeah, sorry, couldn't quite hang with 100% Rose's here.

I have to admit I haven't had a gimlet for years. Now that I think about it, maybe ever.

All in all a pleasant cocktail. That Rose's sure has a weird flavor, though. Tastes like Coconut or something to me. Might have to start making my own, per LibationGoddess' procedure here.

[eje]

Oh, I forgot to add, interesting that it seems like ice is sort of optional in the Savoy Gimlet. The note seems to imply that a room temperature glass of half gin and half rose's would be perfectly acceptable.

[slkinsey]

As chance would have it, Dave Wondrich had something to say about that in a thread on Lime Cordial:

Historically, there are two schools of Gimlet-making: the British, and the American; with Rose's, and with fresh lime juice. Which is the "real" one?

Going by date alone, the American school seems to get the nod: as far as I can tell, it was the first to see print, with the following formula from Tom Bullock's 1917 Ideal Bartender:

"Use a large Mixing glass; fill with Lump Ice.

Juice 1/2 Lime.

1 1/2 jiggers Burnette's Old Tom Gin.

1/2 teaspoonful Bar Sugar.

Stir well and strain into Cocktail glass."

There's only one problem with this: Bullock calls this the "Gillette" cocktail (and adds that it's "Chicago Style"; why, he does not explain). But names for new or obscure cocktails tend to vary quite a bit, and this is the recipe that Mr. Boston picked up and printed in its influential 1935 bar guide as a "Gimlet."

The British school gets into print 5 years after Bullock (at least, that's the earliest mention I've been able to find), in Harry MacElhone's ABC of Mixing Cocktails (the Savoy Cocktail Book borrows from this shamelessly), which gives the following recipe:

"Gimlet.

1/2 Coates' Plymouth Gin

1/2 Rose's Lime Juice Cordial

Stir, and serve in same glass. Can be iced if desired.

A very popular beverage in the Navy."

There are a couple of things about this which suggest strongly that, date notwithstanding, this is the "authentic" recipe, and that it did indeed originate in the Royal Navy.

--The Navy had a huge base in Plymouth, and Plymouth Gin had a long history of popularity among its officers (the ratings had their rum ration, which forced the officers to drink something else in order to maintain the class distinction).

--Rose's, as has been observed, was standard naval issue.

The lack of ice and the proportions of the drink indicate a naval origin as well.

--Ice was scarce or unavailable on ships (when the US invaded Cuba in 1898, the only ice available was on William Randolph Hearst's yacht, which he brought down there to observe his war).

--The proportions, disgustingly sweet by our standards, make more sense when one considers that the spirits the Navy carried were either at "proof" (50% alcohol by weight, or about 114-116 proof by our system) or 4.5 degrees under proof (our 109 proof). If you're mixing overproof gin with no ice, you're going to need a lot more Rose's to make it palatable than if you're shaking normal-proof gin with ice. (BTW--Plymouth has reintroduced a Navy-strength gin, at 114 proof, but it's not yet available here in the US).

To me, the American school is most likely an attempt to recreate the old naval Gimlet in the absence of Rose's Lime Juice. I don't know when Rose's was first introduced to the American market, but it rarely if ever turns up as a cocktail ingredient before the 1930s.

Authentic or not, I like lots of ice in my Gimlet, and a proportion of 4 parts gin to 1 of Rose's.

Interesting to note Dave's note that Savoy borrows heavily from ABC, as this would appear to be the case here. Per DW, I wonder how it would taste at room temp with one of the high proof gins.

Edited March 17, 2008 by slkinsey (log)

[eje]

[...]

Interesting to note Dave's note that Savoy borrows heavily from ABC, as this would appear to be the case here.  Per DW, I wonder how it would taste at room temp with one of the high proof gins.

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Well, "borrows" is sort of putting it mildly. How about reproduces nearly completely, and worst of all, often inaccurately. Same with Ensslin, Judge Jr., and others.

I often wonder what will be left in the book once we have sorted exactly what was "borrowed" from elsewhere.

Someone once mentioned they thought maybe 150 cocktails or so out of the approximately 1000 were actual Savoy Cocktails.

[eje]

Gin Cocktail

4 Dashes Orange Bitters. (1 tsp. Amaro CioCiara, dash Regan's Orange)

1 Glass Dry Gin. (1 1/2 oz Mystery Gin, 1/2 oz Beefeater's Gin)

Shake (stir, please) well and strain into cocktail glass. (Orange twist.)

I figured with 4 whole dashes of orange bitters here, it might be fun to use the Amer Picon-like CioCiara instead of regular orange bitters.

I found a small clear bottle of something in my cabinet. Smells like gin. In fact, I suspect it might very well be a sample of Hayman's Old-Tom.

In any case, it seemed like it would be interesting in this cocktail, even though it is probably not a "Dry Gin," and I didn't have enough to make a whole 2 ounces.

Another cocktail needing a good long stir...

[eje]

Gin and Cape Cocktail

1/2 Caperitif. (generous 1 oz Lillet Blanc)

1/2 Dry Gin. (generous 1 oz No. 209 Gin)

Stir well and strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze lemon (oops! used orange instead.) peel on top.

A perfectly enjoyable cocktail. A dash or two of bitters would probably perk it up quite a bit.

[JAZ]

Gimlet Cocktail

1/2 Burrough's Plymouth Gin. (1 1/2 oz Plymouth Gin)

1/2 Rose's Lime Juice Cordial. (3/4 oz Rose's Lime, 3/4 oz Fresh Lime Juice)

Stir, and serve in same glass.

Note: Can be iced if desired.

Yeah, sorry, couldn't quite hang with 100% Rose's here.

I have to admit I haven't had a gimlet for years. Now that I think about it, maybe ever.

All in all a pleasant cocktail. That Rose's sure has a weird flavor, though. Tastes like Coconut or something to me. Might have to start making my own, per LibationGoddess' procedure here.

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Not to promote myself, but if you're looking for a closer approximation of Rose's, I think my syrup is probably closer than Audrey's (good as it is).

[eje]

Glad Eye Cocktail

1/3 Peppermint. (3/4 oz DeKuyper White)

2/3 Absinthe. (1 1/2 oz Lucid Absinthe)

(Dash Fee's Mint Bitters)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

I really was not looking forward to this cocktail. In fact I've been putting it off for nearly a week.

However, in some bizarre fit of masochism a local bar, Alembic, has decided to have a monthly event where instead of having a menu, they hand out copies of "The Savoy Cocktail Book" and tell patrons to pick a cocktail, any cocktail.

The first time they did this event I was out of town. Strangely, it was "successful," in some measure of the term, so they have decided to make it a monthly event.

Stopped by this evening, and told the talented bartenders, yes, I would like a "Glad Eye" thank you. Their response was, you know, I really don't think that is going to be very good. Well, so it goes. Indeed, it was not very good. Though less bad than I had feared.

Daniel, the bar manager, suggested perhaps putting it in a tube for alcoholic tooth brushers. But, he said, it would have to be a Tom's of Maine type flavor, not some commercial brand. I suspect it was the aromatics of the Absinthe moving him in that direction.

So there you go.

Should you desire an authentic cocktail made from the recipes in the Savoy Cocktail Book, drop by Alembic Bar the 3rd Tuesday of any month. They'll do their best!

[thirtyoneknots]

Glad Eye Cocktail

1/3 Peppermint. (3/4 oz DeKuyper White)

2/3 Absinthe. (1 1/2 oz Lucid Absinthe)

(Dash Fee's Mint Bitters)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

I really was not looking forward to this cocktail.  In fact I've been putting it off for nearly a week.

However, in some bizarre fit of masochism a local bar, Alembic, has decided to have a monthly event where instead of having a menu, they hand out copies of "The Savoy Cocktail Book" and tell patrons to pick a cocktail, any cocktail.

The first time they did this event I was out of town.  Strangely, it was "successful," in some measure of the term, so they have decided to make it a monthly event.

Stopped by this evening, and told the talented bartenders, yes, I would like a "Glad Eye" thank you.  Their response was, you know, I really don't think that is going to be very good.  Well, so it goes.  Indeed, it was not very good.  Though less bad than I had feared.

Daniel, the bar manager, suggested perhaps putting it in a tube for alcoholic tooth brushers.  But, he said, it would have to be a Tom's of Maine type flavor, not some commercial brand.  I suspect it was the aromatics of the Absinthe moving him in that direction.

So there you go.

Should you desire an authentic cocktail made from the recipes in the Savoy Cocktail Book, drop by Alembic Bar the 3rd Tuesday of any month.  They'll do their best!

←

That's pretty hardcore about what Alembic is doing.

Just looking at it I can't help but feel there's some potential in that flavor combo. In fact before I realised that it was 2:1 absinthe:menthe and not the other way around, it sounded strangely good.

[eje]

That's pretty hardcore about what Alembic is doing.

Just looking at it I can't help but feel there's some potential in that flavor combo. In fact before I realised that it was 2:1 absinthe:menthe and not the other way around, it sounded strangely good.

←

One of the other bartenders thought she perhaps preferred it to the Stinger. The Glad Eye certainly carries a bit more of a sting than the stinger!

Yeah, what Alembic is doing is really cool. They've done their best to recreate the liqueurs and other mixers that are no longer available based on the current best knowledge. Josey Packard's done a really tasty Forbidden Fruit liqueur which is quite good in a Tantalus Cocktail.

After recently spending a night making cocktails I was just learning, I can only imagine how tough it would be to make random cocktails you don't know all night. To have to look at a book and do the amount translations, instead of being able to ask a co-worker whether it is 1/2 or 3/4 oz of lemon in such and such drink. Not to mention a pain for the wait staff to have to do comments for every drink they order.

Hardcore, indeed!

[eje]

Gloom Chaser Cocktail

1/4 Lemon Juice. (1/2 oz Lemon Juice)

1/4 Grenadine. (1/2 oz Homemade Grenadine)

1/4 Grand Marnier. (1/2 oz Grand Marnier)

1/4 Curacao. (1/2 oz Senior Curacao of Curacao)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Really puzzling. Two kinds of orange liqueur and grenadine? Even more puzzling if you consider Grand Marnier to actually be a type of Curacao liqueur.

Unforuntately, I can find no indication that this recipe is incorrect. I kind of hoped that would be the case. Maybe someone swapped Curacao for Cognac or something.

But no, this ridiculously sweet recipe appears to be correct.

And, yeah, this is ridiculously sweet. The flavors aren't bad but it turned out to be one of those few Savoy cocktails I couldn't finish. Just too sweet. Makes my teeth hurt just thinking about it again.

[eje]

Golden Ermine Cocktail

1/8 Italian Vermouth. (1/4 ounce M&R Sweet Vermouth)

3/8 French Vermouth. (3/4 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth)

1/2 Dry Gin. (1 oz Beefeater's Gin)

Shake (stir, please) well and strain into cocktail glass.

A perfectly pleasant cocktail. Doesn't quite reach the heights of the Fourth Degree for me, but an interesting Martini variation all the same. Nice color.

[eje]

The Golden Gate Cocktail

3/4 Orange Ice. (2 scoops Ciao Bella Blood Orange Sorbet)

1/4 Gin. (1 oz No. 209 Gin)

Place in shaker and shake ~~ no ice.

Talk about drinking your dessert or adult candy!

Totally the proto slushy margarita here!

Perhaps because my sorbet was a bit cold, it was tough to get the pieces of sorbet to break up just by shaking. Probably get better results by buzzing this with a stick blender or malt mixer.

As a San Franciscan, I have to say I'm a bit disappointed that this kiddy cocktail seems to be named after our most impressive bridge. Still, with a decent sorbet, it's a tasty and non-painful way to get your "Vitamin G".

Edited March 31, 2008 by eje (log)

[eje]

Golden Slipper Cocktail

1/2 Liqueur Glass Yellow Chartreuse. (1 oz Yellow Chartreuse)

The Yolk of 1 Fresh Egg.

1/2 Liqueur Glass Eau de Vie de Danzig. (1 oz Danzig Goldwasser)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

I guess an interesting point, if yer a cocktail geek, about the Golden Slipper, is that Robert Vermeire places it in with his Pousse Cafe drinks. But, but by the 1930s, both Craddock and Duffy are saying it is a shaken drink.

Being an old-school kind of guy, I figured pousse cafe. Plus, if you're shaking the thing, it sort of negates the point of using the gold wasser, which you'll see in many later recipes.

It doesn't seem like there is a huge visual difference between yellow Chartreuse and Danzig Goldwasser, but the flavors are fairly distinct. The Gold Wasser is not as sweet with more of a gin-like edge than the chartreuse.

On the "golden slipper" front, "The Golden Slipper" appears to be a folk tale of Asian origin. The best, and spookiest, google I found, was this vietnamese version:

A Cinderella Tale from Vietnam

Wow, it's got ghosts, skeletons, murder, cruelty, etc. Anyway, yeah, that's Cinderella, all right. Amazing the whitewashed stuff we Anglos get stuck with.

Also, "Golden Slipper" was the name of a charity formed by a group of Jewish Masons in 1922.

Golden Slipper Club

Perhaps they enjoyed the odd cocktail?

[bostonapothecary]

Perhaps they enjoyed the odd cocktail?

i'd drink it... that would make a nice house shot... but is the dantzig sweet? i thought it was just russian eau de vie that had gold flake in it...

in the knickebein the chilled sweet liqueur is on the bottom to marry with the yolk... the high proof warm punishment is on the top... plus some other details... delish.

[eje]

i'd drink it... that would make a nice house shot... but is the dantzig sweet? i thought it was just russian eau de vie that had gold flake in it...

in the knickebein the chilled sweet liqueur is on the bottom to marry with the yolk... the high proof warm punishment is on the top... plus some other details... delish.

←

Everything I've read suggests that Eau-de-Vie de Danzig and Goldwasser are synonymous. The one I used, "Der Lachs Original Danziger Goldwasser," is an 80 proof herbal/spice liqueur. It didn't seem quite as sweet as Yellow Chartreuse, but I didn't try them side by side, just together in the drink.

Nice article here:

Gdansk Goldwasser: Alchemic Elixir

Goldwasser liqueur (literally 'gold water' in German), has been a popular Gdansk tradition since 1598. And though other brands and distilleries have tried to copy it, Goldwasser continues to be inextricably linked to Gdansk. A strong (40%) root and herbal liqueur, Goldwasser's famous feature is the small flecks of 22 karat gold flake that float in the beverage. Though the posh prestige of the alcohol has historically made it a favorite drink of such darlings as Russia's Catherine the Great, the rather diminutive gold flakes suspended in Goldwasser fail to make its price inordinate or its health effects negligible.

[Fat Guy]

There's an article in today's Wall Street Journal, by Eric Felten, about Erik and the "Stomping" topic:

"Stomping Through the Savoy," from today's Wall Street Journal

A couple of years ago, blogress Julie Powell famously cooked her way through the book that made Julia Child a star, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." Last year, Slate deputy editor David Plotz got to the end of 2 Chronicles, wrapping up his "Blogging the Bible" stroll through the Old Testament. And now one of the essential texts of the cocktail canon is in the middle of getting the same thoroughgoing treatment. Erik Ellestad, a host at the eGullet.org Web site, has been leading a bibulous crew of online collaborators since June 2006 on an Abbey to Zed trek through the 1930 "Savoy Cocktail Book."

The link may not work forever. Journal links often expire after a short time, in my experience. So check out the full story now while it's still available.

[eje]

Uh, wow, almost 2 years of Stomping... Time certainly flies!

Grace’s Delight Cocktail

(6 People)

Fill a large glass with broken ice and place in it 2 glasses of Whisky, 2 ½ glasses of French Vermouth and half a glass of Raspberry Brandy. Add the juice of half an Orange, a teaspoonful of Orange-flower water, 3 Juniper berries, a bit of Cinnamon and a little Nutmeg.

Stir well with a big silver spoon, pour the mixture, straining it, into a cocktail shaker holding about a pint. Shake and keep for an hour on ice. Serve.

Grace’s Delight Cocktail, revised

1 oz Rittenhouse Bonded Rye

1 1/4 ounce Dolin Dry Vermouth

1/4 ounce Chambord

Juice 1/8 Orange

Dash Orange Flower Water

2 Juniper Berries

Pinch Cinnamon

Pinch freshly ground Nutmeg

Crush Juniper berries in the bottom of a Mixing glass or tin. Add Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Rye. Let stand for at least an hour. Add remaining ingredients, shake and strain into a cocktail glass.

I have to admit I've been looking forward to Grace's Delight since I first read through the Savoy Cocktail Book a few years ago. However, the instructions never really made much sense to me. I've done my best to render them into a semblance of order. Sorry Grace, I don't have a big silver spoon, and, I guess, technically, Chambord is a black raspberry liqueur, not red raspberry.

In any case, the result of the above procedure is actually quite tasty. Albeit in a sort of odd, fruity, spicy way. More like a mini punch than a cocktail. I'd certainly drink it again.

[bostonapothecary]

Uh, wow, almost 2 years of Stomping...  Time certainly flies!

Grace’s Delight Cocktail

(6 People)

Fill a large glass with broken ice and place in it 2 glasses of Whisky, 2 ½ glasses of French Vermouth and half a glass of Raspberry Brandy. Add the juice of half an Orange, a teaspoonful of Orange-flower water, 3 Juniper berries, a bit of Cinnamon and a little Nutmeg.

Stir well with a big silver spoon, pour the mixture, straining it, into a cocktail shaker holding about a pint. Shake and keep for an hour on ice.  Serve.

Grace’s Delight Cocktail, revised

1 oz Rittenhouse Bonded Rye

1 1/4 ounce Dolin Dry Vermouth

1/4 ounce Chambord

Juice 1/8 Orange

Dash Orange Flower Water

2 Juniper Berries

Pinch Cinnamon

Pinch freshly ground Nutmeg

Crush Juniper berries in the bottom of a Mixing glass or tin.  Add Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Rye.  Let stand for at least an hour.  Add remaining ingredients, shake and strain into a cocktail glass.

I have to admit I've been looking forward to Grace's Delight since I first read through the Savoy Cocktail Book a few years ago.  However, the instructions never really made much sense to me.  I've done my best to render them into a semblance of order.  Sorry Grace, I don't have a big silver spoon, and, I guess, technically, Chambord is a black raspberry liqueur, not red raspberry.

In any case, the result of the above procedure is actually quite tasty.  Albeit in a sort of odd, fruity, spicy way.  More like a mini punch than a cocktail.  I'd certainly drink it again.

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chambord is very different from black raspberry or red raspberry "brandy"

i make both and keep them more or less unembellished besides black tea... chambord has these midevil flavors... it is very different... there is alot of heaviness to it. they add alot of honey and vanilla bean as well as cinnamon, clove, etc... on the market matilde's liqueurs would probably be the closest choice...

and i still have yet to find dolin dry vermouth around here...

congrats on the WSJ shout out...!

[eje]

chambord is very different from black raspberry or red raspberry "brandy"

i make both and keep them more or less unembellished besides black tea... chambord has these midevil flavors... it is very different... there is alot of heaviness to it.  they add alot of honey and vanilla bean as well as cinnamon, clove, etc... on the market matilde's liqueurs would probably be the closest choice...

and i still have yet to find dolin dry vermouth around here...

congrats on the WSJ shout out...!

←

Damn!

I guess I'll have to pick up one of the nicer French raspberry liqueurs and give it a try next time.

I suppose there is also the remote chance that this recipe could be calling for raspberry eau-de-vie, as well. Seems pretty unlikely to me, but always possible whenever the word "brandy" is bandied about.

[thirtyoneknots]

I suppose there is also the remote chance that this recipe could be calling for raspberry eau-de-vie, as well.  Seems pretty unlikely to me, but always possible whenever the word "brandy" is bandied about.

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I was sort of thinking that, seems like it is sweet enough anyway.

Would take it in a completely new direction, though (as they always do)

[bostonapothecary]

I suppose there is also the remote chance that this recipe could be calling for raspberry eau-de-vie, as well.  Seems pretty unlikely to me, but always possible whenever the word "brandy" is bandied about.

←

I was sort of thinking that, seems like it is sweet enough anyway.

Would take it in a completely new direction, though (as they always do)

←

that much dry vermouth is alot of acidity... an orange is more or less self balancing... so to get any vibrancy out of your spices you need sugar... else they would taste flat like they were barely there...

my cousin gave me an old family recipe for "peach brandy"... it was basically peach beer... the term doesn't seem to mean much in certain cultures...

[thirtyoneknots]

I suppose there is also the remote chance that this recipe could be calling for raspberry eau-de-vie, as well.  Seems pretty unlikely to me, but always possible whenever the word "brandy" is bandied about.

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I was sort of thinking that, seems like it is sweet enough anyway.

Would take it in a completely new direction, though (as they always do)

←

that much dry vermouth is alot of acidity... an orange is more or less self balancing... so to get any vibrancy out of your spices you need sugar... else they would taste flat like they were barely there...

my cousin gave me an old family recipe for "peach brandy"... it was basically peach beer... the term doesn't seem to mean much in certain cultures...

←

True it might not taste as good, but I think by now we've got enough evidence that the fact that an ingredient will create an unbalanced drink doesn't mean that that's not what Craddock (or his sources) intended. Not sure if the stuff existed commercially at the time, but a dash of Pimento Dram could sub for the spices, and add the tiny bit of sweetness.

[eje]

True it might not taste as good, but I think by now we've got enough evidence that the fact that an ingredient will create an unbalanced drink doesn't mean that that's not what Craddock (or his sources) intended. Not sure if the stuff existed commercially at the time, but a dash of Pimento Dram could sub for the spices, and add the tiny bit of sweetness.

←

I've no inisght on the source of this recipe. About all I can tell you is Grace's Delight is verbatim in the Savoy Cocktail Book and Patrick Duffy's "Official Mixer's Manual".

To me, flavor aside, raspberry liqueur seems more likely than raspberry eau-de-vie, just because the eau-de-vie doesn't seem like it would be a common bar ingredient. No facts to back that up, though.