324. Silver Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1 oz Beefeater Gin
  1 oz Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth
  2 dashes Regan’s orange bitters
  2 dashes Luxardo maraschino
  1 dash gum syrup
  1 dash Angostura bitters

Stir well (30 seconds) in mixing-glass half full of ice, strain into cocktail glass, squeeze lemon peel, garnish, serve. — This recipe is first found in JM1908 and continues without change to JM1933. Straub 1913 shows a simpler formula with sweet vermouth and no gum syrup. McElhone’s recipe in Barflies & Cocktails (1927), ascribing the authorship to Pat O’Brien of the Knickerbocker, uses dry vermouth, but instead of gum syrup calls for egg white and orgeat—for which Jack’s use of gum syrup would be a reasonable, if lackluster, substitute. The Savoy Cocktail Book simplifies on Jack’s recipe by dropping the Angostura and gum syrup, bringing it closer to an augmented dry Martini or Tuxedo. This idea is also reflected in the Old Waldorf Bar Days book, which calls for a Martini with maraschino, frappé.
   

263. Pan-American Cocktail

My interpretation:
  2 oz Rittenhouse Rye (or if it’s too woody for you, Old Granddad)
  1 dash gum syrup
  1 dash lemon juice

Shake (20 seconds), strain into cocktail glass, serve. — This drink, not named for the Pan-American Airways (which existed from 1927 to 1991) but rather for John Barrett’s association of all (North and South) American countries, as we are told in the Old Waldorf Bar Book, appears first in Straub 1913 before showing up in JM 1916. The Old Waldorf calls for a half lemon muddled and three dashes of syrup. At any rate, your dash should be substantial enough to be noticed in this liquor-forward whisky service, and yet not result in a Whisky Sour. The emphasis here is only on smoothing the whisky.

213. London Cocktail

My interpretation:
  2 oz Captive Spirits Big Gin
  2 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters
  2 dashes gum syrup
  2 dashes Hiram Walker Anisette

Shake well (30 seconds), strain into cocktail glass, serve. — This recipe follows almost exactly the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book, except for the Anisette in place of original Absinthe. Since Jack retains absinthe in other recipes, this is a curious change, though we know from experience that he generally makes his drinks a little weaker, and this may be for that purpose.

132. Fancy Brandy / Gin / Whisky Cocktail

 The next recipe is a category or style of service specifying any of three base liquors. My interpretation:
  2 oz Western Grace brandy, Gin Lane 1751 London Dry, or Old Forester Signature
  1 dash gum syrup
  1 dash Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
  1 dash Angostura bitters

Shake (sic) with ice, strain, twist lemon peel over drink, garnish, and serve. — This recipe, also copied by Straub in 1913, continues unchanged from JM 1908. Especially good if you like cloudy, aerated liquors!

109. Cuban Cocktail

My interpretation:
  2 oz Myers’s Jamaican Rum
  2 T fresh orange juice
  3 dashes homemade gum syrup

Fill mixing-glass with cracked ice; stir, strain, serve. — This cocktail first appears in JM third edition (1910-II) and remains unchanged. It is not to our thinking very Cuban, calling for Jamaican rum and orange juice instead of lime as it does. Straub errs in another way, using lime juice but substituting gin and brandy for rum and apricot brandy for the sweetener. Finally, it is also well to note that Jack’s recipe for “gum” syrup includes no gum arabic and should, for authenticity’s sake, be interpreted as simple syrup (here from the 3rd Edition):

I have, however, taken the opportunity to make my own gum syrup, and used it to great advantage in this cocktail.