The Pegu Club Cocktail

[thirtyoneknots]

Well, I have to admit a slight preference for slightly less gin, slightly more lime juice, and slightly, slightly more, uh, cointreau.  Ooops.

I also really like the gimlet-i-fied version, especially with Genever.

No pasa nada.  Divert your eyes.

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As I've noted before, I like that one too, though I've never tried it with Genevere. Or maybe it just hit me the right way at the right time.

[Alchemist]

Would Plymouth be the type of gin they were drinking in Burma at the time? I would think a bolder gin like Tanq or Beefeater would be the way to go.

I am playing around with a couple of versions for the cocktail menu this summer. I like the idea of 3-4 different bitters in it. The exotic spices in the Ang Orange and the Regans' seem very appropos to the place of conseption if not to the original drink, and then is there any better combo on earth than Gin and Angostura?

Wait, wait I know the answer to that one.

Toby

[slkinsey]

Figure that Burma was under British control beginning around 1886, and the earliest known recipes for the cocktail give us reason to suspect it may have been developed in the early 1920s.

Rangoon (now Yangon), where the Pegu Club was situated, is a port city just up the Rangoon (Yangon) River from the Gulf of Martaban in the Indian Ocean. Presumably what gin there was that was finding its way into the Pegu Club itself would have been whatever the Navy was bringing in -- most likely Plymouth, I'd guess, but perhaps Navy Strength?

[eje]

Would Plymouth be the type of gin they were drinking in Burma at the time?  I would think a bolder gin like Tanq or Beefeater would be the way to go.

I am playing around with a couple of versions for the cocktail menu this summer.  I like the idea of 3-4 different bitters in it.  The exotic spices in the Ang Orange and the Regans' seem very appropos to the place of conseption if not to the original drink, and then is there any better combo on earth than Gin and Angostura?

Wait, wait I know the answer to that one.

Toby

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I just like Plymouth in sours, that's why I grabbed that particular bottle. Out of Tanqueray at the moment, or I might have picked it instead. Navy Strength Plymouth might be amusing!

If you like Gin and Angostura, try this Savoy cocktail with North Shore No. 11 and Dolin Blanc standing in for the Caperitif. Very Tasty.

Piccad Cocktail.

3 Dashes Angostura Bitters.

1/2 Caperitif.

1/2 Dry Gin.

Shake well with two or three pieces of lemon rind and strain.

[thirtyoneknots]

I would think that a club in that kind of place could get whatever kind of spirits were in demand, not necessarily limited to something naval issue with Britain's large and powerful Merchant Marine...the whole point of the 'Club' was to be able to have a bit of London out there on the frontier, was it not? This would certainly mean no skimping on quality (not that there is anything wrong with Plymouth, mind you).

[vice]

...the whole point of the 'Club' was to be able to have a bit of London out there on the frontier, was it not?

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as much of London as one could reasonably acquire in a fairly removed setting, meaning, i imagine, that compromises may have had been made (again, not that plymouth is a compromise). this puzzle sounds like a job for a certified cocktail historian. if only we knew where to find one...

[MaxK]

I used to use Plymouth in Pegu Clubs (one of my absolute favorite cocktails, I like the 4:1:1 ratio), but after finding Juniper Green I realized that the drink needed a more forward gin. Alas I can't find Juniper Green near me anymore, so I've switched to Beefeater.

Plymouth is great in Martinis and a Clover Clubs, but I find it a little too subtle for the Pegu Club myself.

My orange bitter of choice here is Regan's.

[Alchemist]

I now have a Pegu Club Cocktail on the menu at The Patterson House. The only change I am doing from the standard is rinsing the glass with the Orange Bitters' so you get much more of the exotic spice in your nose. Ango is incorporated.

Toby

[MaxK]

Interesting idea with the bitters rinse. How do you accomplish that? With an atomizer?

[Alchemist]

We use the dropper bottles. Run the dropper inside kust below the rim. But you can just dash in and twirl the glass.

Toby

[FrogPrincesse]

Last week I made a cocktail called the Stork Club (found via Bartender's Choice), which is a close relative of the Pegu Club. I am referring to Paul Harrington's ratios, with the addition of orange juice.

1.5 oz gin

0.5 oz Cointreau

1 oz orange juice

0.5 oz lime juice

2 dashes Angostura bitters

I used a blood orange and liked it a lot. The Junipero worked well in the drink, it was not overpowering.

Going through this thread, it looks like JAZ also tried a blood orange variation a while back.

I was making a Pegu Club the other evening and didn't have quite enough lime juice (I use the Dave/Paul Harrington proportions) so I augmented it with a very little bit of blood orange juice. It was a very good variation, and a beautiful color as well.

Edited May 23, 2012 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[ChrisTaylor]

Just tried the 4:1:1 version with Bol's Gen instead of, say, Tanq. Mostly me making the effort to like--or, at least, get--Genever. It's certainly better than drinking the stuff straight or in a G&T, as I made for a couple people the other night on request, but it still seems a bit like the red-headed stepchild of the gin family. It might grow on me. Maybe. But likely not. I mean, with whiskies and such, and when I'm trying basically anything for the first time--food or booze--I kind of like a big 'hi guys, fuck you, I'm Talisker' flavour punch. But Genever's flavour punch is clearly one that I will need to acquire.

[mkayahara]

Made a Pegu Club tonight with Clement Creole Shrubb for the orange liqueur, Hayman's Old Tom for the gin, and a couple of dashes each of Regan's orange bitters and Angostura aromatic. I dunno... I can see why some people might fuss over "perfecting" the ratios for this drink, but I seem to like every iteration, in its own way.