297. Reis Cocktail

My interpretation:
  2 oz Hayman’s Old Tom Gin
  2 dashes Angostura bitters
  2 dashes St. George Absinthe Verte

Fill mixing-glass with cracked ice, shake, strain into cocktail glass, serve. — JM1916 has this from the recipe in Straub 1913/1914. Undoubtedly related is the Rees Cocktail in the Old Waldorf Bar Days (1931), where it is given the alternate name “H. C. Club.” This recipe has an absinthe rinse, 2 dashes Angostura, 9/10 Tom Gin, and 1/10 Sweet Vermouth; yet the drink is to be served warm, apparently not shaken or stirred with ice.

281. Polo Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1.5 oz Hayman’s Old Tom Gin
  2 oz fresh grapefruit juice
  2 oz fresh orange juice 

Shake, strain into claret glass, serve. — This gentle orange-grapefruit Blossom (juice with a bit of liquor) with about 2/3 mixer and 1/3 booze, appears first in Straub, where indeed it is prescribed in equal thirds. Grohusko, as usual, adjusts the recipe for his JM 1916 version, perhaps to make it his own. In doing so, he weakens it slightly but not significantly. The Savoy (1930), using Plymouth Gin, calls this Polo No. 2. The Old Waldorf Bar Book (1931) gives it with rum instead of gin. The large serving glass (claret glass, a 5-6 oz stemmed glass) here takes account of the larger amount of juice involved, probably from earlier recipes involving integers of fruit (whole or half orange, grapefruit, etc.) rather than percentages or measures. A larger portion is also warranted by the weaker nature of this drink, which is, probably, the ideal brunch cocktail.

272. Pheasant Cocktail

My interpretation:

  1 oz Rémy Martin VSOP

  1 oz Hayman’s Old Tom Gin

In mixing-glass half-full of broken ice shake 20–30 seconds, strain into cocktail glass, serve. — My interpretation of the recipe here is admittedly incorrect. Though no type of gin is specified in 1933, the earlier editions all indicate some form of dry (or Gordon’s) gin. My error came from the (usually correct) assumption that an unspecified “gin” in JM 1933 means something not “dry,” i.e., Old Tom, or occasionally, Holland Gin. Nevertheless, the recipe works well this way, and is a bit softer and more blended in effect. The original formulation is more bracing. We might call this variant the Tom Pheasant. The Pheasant Cocktail first appears in JM1908 and is picked up by Straub in 1913. Gordon dry is still indicated in JM 1916, but the last edition introduces the generic switch for unknown reasons.

208. Leowi Cocktail (Loewi Cocktail)

 My interpretation:
  0.5 oz Hayman’s Old Tom infused with orange peels
  1 oz Captive Spirits Big Gin
  0.5 oz Noilly Prat Extra Dry

Fill mixing-glass with ice, stir, strain into cocktail glass, serve. — This pre-dinner cocktail recipe first appears in JM 1908 under the name Loewi (a surname, like Otto Loewi). In that recipe, Booth’s Orange Gin is specified by name. The 2nd Edition changes the spelling to Leowi. The 3rd Edition’s pertinent page is missing. Straub 1913 has Loewi, pointing to Straub’s better knowledge or confinement to JM 1908. At any rate, the change in spelling persists to 1933, though the spelling Loewi seems correct. While no orange gins are readily available in our market, orange gin is not difficult to produce. The easiest method is to place several orange peels in a container of gin for about 4 weeks, agitating occasionally, and strain off into a clean, sealable container. This special ingredient adds a fragrant orange flavor to this Dry Martini riff (with a 3:1 ratio) without weakening or sweetening it too much.

127. Emerson Cocktail

 My interpretation:
  1 oz Hayman’s Old Tom Gin
  0.5 oz Cocchi Vermouth di Torino
  0.5 oz fresh lime juice
  3 dashes Luxardo maraschino

Fill shaker with cracked ice, shake, strain into cocktail glass, serve. — Borrowed without change from Straub 1913 for JM 1916, this interestingly balanced mixture hovers between a Martinez and an Aviation, a sort of Martinez sour (as some have noted) which does best with a slightly bitter vermouth.

55. Brighton Cocktail

 My interpretation:
  1.5 oz Carpano Antica
  0.75 oz Uncle Val’s Restorative
  0.75 oz Hayman’s Old Tom Gin
  1 dash Regan’s Orange Bitters

Stir well (20 seconds) with ice, garnish with twisted lemon peel, serve. — Another interesting cocktail apparently picked up from Straub 1914 for the JM 1916 edition, this “Martini” riff sweetens the gin side slightly with a spot of Old Tom.