Stomping Through the "Savoy" (2006–2007)

[eje]

If a hooker is really a small shot, then this drink would end up with almost as much lemon juice as Brandy. I tried it like that, and, predictably, it was awful. So I made it just like I would a Jack Rose. As long as the ratio of Cognac to sweet and sour was high enough, this was a very nice cocktail, and one worth considering some night you are craving a Sidecar and want to shake things up a bit (but not too much).

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David... Quite an adventure, sounds like! Thanks for persevering.

re: hooker. Check the Savoy receipt for the "Nose-Dive Cocktail". In it you place a "hooker" of gin in the bottom of an "ordinary tumbler", then fill the tumbler with ginger ale, "until almost to the top of the small glass."

The whole thing is then quickly downed. "That is, everything but the small glass."

From that recipe, it seems to me a hooker has to be a small-ish shot glass.

I was wondering about the name, Brandy Gump. Along with being slang for a stupid person, according to the wikipedia and several airplane websites, GUMP is "an acronym for 'Gas,' 'Undercarriage,' 'Mixture,' and 'Propeller.' It is a mnemonic to help a pilot to check four critical items in an airplane prior to landing."

I wonder if the Brandy Gump is another WW I flyboy cocktail?

[eje]

re: Brandy Gump Recipe

Certainly an odd one. Skimming the Savoy Cocktail book, it's the only cocktail I could find that calls for the juice of a whole lemon. Most sours and fizzes call for the juice of a half a lemon.

That fact does make me wonder if it's a typo, a missing ingredient, or just the preference of someone who liked really sour cocktails.

While unsweetened citrus cocktails do exist among the recipes, I'd be inclined to be generous with the grenadine and maybe even give it a squirt of soda.

[Splificator]

That fact does make me wonder if it's a typo, a missing ingredient, or just the preference of someone who liked really sour cocktails.

The recipe in the Savoy book is lifted verbatim from the 1927 Here's How, by Judge, Jr., a popular little American cocktail booklet that Craddock appears to have known (the French 75 is also in it, and pretty much nowhere else).

As for the name, I suspect it was a play on "Andy Gump," a popular cartoon character of the day.

[slkinsey]

The Gumps on Wikipedia.

[Vesper Lynd]

.......

I was wondering about the name, Brandy Gump.  Along with being slang for a stupid person, according to the wikipedia and several airplane websites, GUMP is "an acronym for 'Gas,' 'Undercarriage,' 'Mixture,' and 'Propeller.' It is a mnemonic to help a pilot to check four critical items in an airplane prior to landing."

I wonder if the Brandy Gump is another WW I flyboy cocktail?

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A nice theory but unlikely given that aircraft of the day (WWI) had fixed undercarriage, and variable pitch propellers were not commonly used until the 1930's

[eje]

Cool!

So, a cartoon fan who liked very sour brandy cocktails!

Noted...

I still think it would be improved with some soda. But, that is my personal preference, not an historical speculation.

[eje]

I tried a Brandy Crusta sort of half way between the Savoy and the Jerry Thomas recipe. Quite enjoyed it.

Brandy Crusta for 2:

4 oz Brandy

1/2 oz Brizard Curacao

Juice 1/2 lemon

2 Dashes The Bitter Truth Boker's Bitters (Bother them, maybe they'll make another batch!)

Followed Thomas procedure shaking with cracked ice, and straining into small sugared glasses with a half a pared lemon peel each. Unfortunately, pictures didn't really turn out very well. Need to work on my sugared rim technique and sharpen my paring knife.

Sadly not pretty.

Tasty, though.

Edited March 1, 2007 by eje (log)

[eje]

Brandy Special Cocktail

3 or 4 Dashes Gomme Syrup (1 cube demerara sugar)

2 or 3 Dashes Bitters (Angostura)

1 Wineglass Brandy (2 oz Korbel VSOP Brandy)

1 or 2 Dashes Curacao (2 barspoons Brizard Orange Curacao)

(Soak sugar cube in bitters and crush with muddler in bottom of old fashioned glass. Add Curacao, and stir. Add brandy, stir.) Squeeze lemon peel; fill one-third full of (cracked) ice, and stir with a spoon.

Growing up in Wisconsin, the Curacao here is a bit twee, not to mention the use of Korbel VSOP. Doesn't hurt, though, and gives a bit of leeway to us city folk.

Anyway, if you can master this simple formula, (or find a bartender who does,) you may not find much cause to sample other cocktails.

[eje]

The above "Brandy Special Cocktail" is pretty much the verbatim recipe for the "Brandy Cocktail" from Jerry Thomas' "How To Mix Drinks".

Brandy Cocktail

(Use small bar-glass.)

Take 3 or 4 dashes of gum syrup.

2 dashes of bitters (Boker's or Angostura).

1 wine-glass of brandy.

1 or 2 dashes of Curacoa.

Fill the glass one-third full of shaved ice, shake up

well and strain into a cocktail glass. Twist a small

piece of lemon rind in it and serve.

The only real difference being the Savoy doesn't mention straining it into a cocktail glass. Is that the "Special" part? Or is it just assumed you will strain it into a cocktail glass?

I have to admit I kind of prefer it with ice in the glass, whether cracked or cubes. It makes it more of a leisurely drink. I also think using dry sugar is a nice touch. The sugar doesn't all dissolve at the start, and the drink remains balanced and interesting as the ice melts and dissolves more of the sugar.

In point of fact, you could create a matrix with every liqueur, liquor, bitters and sugar in your cupboards, make the above cocktail with them, and probably come across few bad drinks. You might even find some interesting new combinations.

[eje]

Brandy Vermouth Cocktail

1 Dash Angostura Bitters

1/4 Italian Vermouth (3/4 oz Cinzano Rosso)

3/4 Brandy (2 1/4 oz Pierre Ferrand Cognac Ambre)

Stir well and strain into cocktail glass

For some reason I didn't have much hope for this cocktail. Maybe the not very original name? Or perhaps I expected the Italian Vermouth to overpower the Cognac?

In any case, here's another Savoy cocktail that defied my expectations.

Tasty and complex. The vermouth nicely underscores elements of the Cognac without overpowering it. The dash of bitters punches it up slightly. The elements combine for some subtle cherry-ish flavors you wouldn't expect from any of the components. Nice.

[evilhomer]

this reminds me of the affinity which mixed scotch and sweet vermouth into something surprisingly synergistic. Those have been a welcome regular since you brought them up (in july?) and I'm very eager to try this aptly named concoction too.

[eje]

Brazil Cocktail

1 Dash Angostura Bitters

1 Dash Absinthe (1/4 barspoon Verte de Fougerolles Absinthe)

1/2 French Vermouth (2 oz Noilly Prat)

1/2 Sherry (2 oz Lustau Solera Reserva Dry Oloroso Sherry "Don Nuño")

Stir well and strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze lemon peel on top.

The Absinthe and Lemon add a nice flavor to the Sherry and Vermouth. The flavors were actually more interesting as it warmed in the glass than when I first poured it. Still, not something I would likely choose to sample again.

[eje]

Breakfast Cocktail

1/3 Grenadine (3/4 oz homemade)

2/3 Dry Gin (1 1/2 oz Plymouth Gin)

The White of 1 Egg

Shake well and strain into large wine glass.

A slightly grenadinier "Pink Lady"? Nom de cocktail so men can order grenadine and gin without being embarrassed?

I'm fond of grenadine and gin, so had no problems drinking this down.

[eje]

Broadway Smile Cocktail

1/3 Creme de Cassis (Brizard Cassis de Bourdeaux)

1/3 Swedish Punch (Facile Swedish Punch)

1/3 Cointreau

Use liqueur glass and pour carefully so that ingredients do not mix.

Of the layered liqueur cocktails I've tried so far, I have to say this is my favorite. Unfortunately, it involves a nearly impossible to find ingredient, Swedish Punch.

The kindness of internet strangers has resulted in my possession of a tiny amount of real Swedish punch and I have used a good bit of it here.

The only problem with now having tasted Swedish Punch is that I realize how far off my attempt to replicate it was. Well, that and the realization that Batavia Arrack has as much to do with Sri Lankan Arrack as Austrian Rum as to do with Jamaican Rum. That is to say, almost zilch.

Perhaps someone with a wider range of drinking experience will have a suggestion for something to replace the Swedish punch here. I'm coming up blank.

[eje]

Broken Spur Cocktail

1 Egg Yolk

2/3 White Port (2 oz Quinto do Infantado White Port)

1/6 Dry Gin (1 oz Tanqueray)

1/6 Gancia Vermouth (1 oz Cinzano Rosso Vermouth)

1 teaspoon Brisard (sic.) Anisette (1 teaspoon Anis del Mono Dulce)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. (Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg. - eje)

Once again, my poor grasp of fractions betrayed me. I thought the vermouth seemed a bit heavy in the flavor profile.

The drink seemed a little flat to start out with. The nutmeg, (not pictured), punched it up greatly, and I highly recommend adding it as a garnish.

The drink itself is one of the better eggey flip-ey things I've tried. Liked it much more than I expected.

Edited March 15, 2007 by eje (log)

[Vesper Lynd]

I'm interested to know if the Quinto do Infantado White Port, is sweet or dry. From my reading I understand that white ports are often quite dry.

[eje]

I'm interested to know if the Quinto do Infantado White Port, is sweet or dry. From my reading I understand that white ports are often quite dry.

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Yes, it is a dry white port.

This is only the second white port I've tried. I think the other might have been Churchill's. It was some time ago; but, I believe this one is quite a bit drier than that one was.

It's interesting, despite their ostensible similarities, I find white ports much more to my taste than Fino Sherries. Not sure exactly why, as my tasting of both classes of wine has been pretty limited so far.

[David Santucci]

Bronx Cocktail

The Juice of ¼ Orange (¾ oz. fresh-squeezed, strained)

¼ French Vermouth (¾ oz. Noilly Prat)

¼ Italian Vermouth (¾ oz. Cinzano Rosso)

½ Dry Gin (1½ oz. Citadelle)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. (Stir, garnish with orange twist.)

One can easily see why this drink was so popular. It tastes strongly of Vermouth, but the Orange Juice helps all the ingredients to blend, which they do nicely. I tried another version (David Embury's), with more Martini-like proportions: 6 parts gin to 1 part everything else. It was awful—there is a reason Sweet and Medium Martinis are not very popular. Stick to the classic proportions on this one and you will have a drink that all but the most Vermouth-averse will enjoy.

Edited March 15, 2007 by David Santucci (log)

[eje]

Broken Spur Cocktail

1 Egg Yolk

2/3 White Port (2 oz Quinto do Infantado White Port)

1/6 Dry Gin (1 oz Tanqueray)

1/6 Gancia Vermouth (1 oz Cinzano Rosso Vermouth)

1 teaspoon Brisard (sic.) Anisette (1 teaspoon Anis del Mono Dulce)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.  (Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg. - eje)

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Some things I discovered this AM. Apparently there is a very similar cocktail (slightly different vermouth to gin ratio and a whole egg) called the "Broker's Flip". There is a cocktail made with unspecified port, sweet vermouth, and curacao also called the "Broken Spur". The port, vermouth, and curacao version appears to be nominally more common, at least in a cursory search of internet sites which collect cocktail recipes. In the cocktaildb, the Savoy version of the Broken Spur is called the "Broken Spur Variation".

Though I've never seen it in my travels, Gancia Vermouth appears to still be made. Not sure why it is specified here. Whether its inclusion just means it is important to use a decent Italian Vermouth, if there is some special quality to the Gancia, or if it was an ad/sponsorship thing like the Booth's gin in some of the recipes.

Edited March 15, 2007 by eje (log)

[eje]

Bronx Cocktail

The Juice of 1/4 Orange (Juice 1 Page Mandarin)

1/4 French Vermouth (1 oz Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth)

1/4 Italian Vermouth (1 oz Carpano Punt e Mes)

1/2 Dry Gin (1 oz Beefeater's Gin, 1 oz Tanqueray Gin)

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Ahem, this did end up a bit on the extra-large size. But, really, the Bronx is one of my favorite cocktails and I was thirsty. Anyway, I figured David had covered the basics, so I could feel free to do whatever I wanted.

I hardly ever get to use Punt e Mes for anything, so its bitter kick seemed like a good idea. Finished off the nearly empty Beefeater's and Tanqueray bottles. The orange we had in the fridge was in worse shape than I had remembered, so the mandarin had to stand in.

I've read a number of sources that say the Bronx was something of a cocktail non grata in the 40s and 50s. I don't really understand why. Especially, if you squeeze athe quarter of a juice orange right over the mixing shaker, the light fresh orange juice flavor and the smell of the slightly sharp orange oils are quite pleasant, combining with the gin and vermouths. I'll admit I am slightly more partial to the "Income Tax" or "Bronx with Bitters" so using Punt e Mes gets me closer to that drink.

Is the derision heaped on the Bronx because of too much orange juice? Bad syrupy orange juice from concentrate? Bathtub Gin hangovers? Something we can blame on Anita Bryant?

Probably not; but, ditch the Minute Maid from concentrate, and rediscover this classic the way it's meant to be.

Edited March 16, 2007 by eje (log)

[eje]

Bronx (Silver) Cocktail

The Juice of 1/4 Orange

The White of 1 Egg

1/4 French Vermouth (3/4 oz Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth)

1/4 Italian Vermouth (3/4 oz Cinzano Rosso Vermouth)

1/2 Dry Gin (1 1/2 oz Boodles Gin)

Shake well and strain into large wine glass.

Haven't quite decided what I think of the Boodles.

It was on sale, so I figured I had little to lose. Flavor-wise it seems most similar to Plymouth Gin. Much lighter, though.

The other night I tried it in my usual Martini (2 oz Gin, 1/2 oz Vermouth, dash orange bitters). To me the flavor of the Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth was really the dominant element in the cocktail. It also really seemed to call out for an olive, rather than my usual lemon twist.

Here in the Bronx (Silver) something with a little more spine, like Tanqueray, might be more appropriate. Still, all in all, a fine Sunday cocktail.

[David Santucci]

Bronx Terracl (Terrace) Cocktail

2/3 Gin

1/3 French Vermouth

The Juice of 1/2 Lime

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass

I think there might be more than one mistake in this recipe. As it stands, it is awful, however this is a cocktail with potential. Add a dash of sugar syrup, and suddenly the potential of the Gin-Vermouth-Lime combination is unlocked. The CocktailDB recipe for this one calls for sugar too. Even better, add more Vermouth and a splash of bitters, à la the Hong Kong Cocktail. I ended up using 1 oz. Gin, 1 oz. French Vermouth, 1/2 oz. lime juice, 2 tsp. simple syrup and 1 dash Regan's Orange Bitters -- delicious!

Edited March 21, 2007 by David Santucci (log)

[David Santucci]

Haven't quite decided what I think of the Boodles.

It was on sale, so I figured I had little to lose.  Flavor-wise it seems most similar to Plymouth Gin.  Much lighter, though.

The other night I tried it in my usual Martini (2 oz Gin, 1/2 oz Vermouth, dash orange bitters).  To me the flavor of the Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth was really the dominant element in the cocktail.  It also really seemed to call out for an olive, rather than my usual lemon twist.

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I am a fan of the Boodles. And I am 100% in agreement that it just begs for an olive in a Martini.

[thirtyoneknots]

Haven't quite decided what I think of the Boodles.

It was on sale, so I figured I had little to lose.  Flavor-wise it seems most similar to Plymouth Gin.  Much lighter, though.

The other night I tried it in my usual Martini (2 oz Gin, 1/2 oz Vermouth, dash orange bitters).  To me the flavor of the Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth was really the dominant element in the cocktail.  It also really seemed to call out for an olive, rather than my usual lemon twist.

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I am a fan of the Boodles. And I am 100% in agreement that it just begs for an olive in a Martini.

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I really really like Boodles, in just about anything but a Martini. Try it in a Ramos Fizz sometime.

-Andy

[limewine]

Bronx Terracl (Terrace) Cocktail

2/3 Gin

1/3 French Vermouth

The Juice of 1/2 Lime

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass

I think there might be more than one mistake in this recipe. As it stands, it is awful ...

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I'm actually something of a fan of the Bronx Terrace, though I can see that it's flavor isn't for everyone. It's very dry, with a spare, suave undercurrent that is appealing when I'm not really in the mood for anything else. I save this cocktail for the occasional jaded palate moment, when I just need something different, but a drink that's quiet in the glass and free from the mixological razzle-dazzle that I usually look for in a recipe.

I did a writeup on the Bronx Terrace about a year ago, over here.