310. Sabbath Cocktail

My interpretation:

  1 oz Rémy Martin VSOP

  1 oz Offley Tawny Port

  1 oz black coffee (Portland Brew / Summit Roasting)

  1/2 tsp sugar

Shake all ingredients with ice 20 seconds, strain out ice, shake a further 15 seconds, strain into claret (small wine) glass, serve. — This large format caffeinated flip first appears in Straub 1913 (spelled “Sabath”) from whence it makes its way into JM1916. It resembles an attempt at what the Coffee Cocktail ought to have been. In other books, like the Old Waldorf Bar Days (1931) it is called a Sabbath Calm. But Jack Grohusko already had a Sabbath Morning Calm going back to 1908, consisting of gin and eggwhite shaken and strained. That was relegated to the miscellaneous section in 1916; . The Old Waldorf recipe calls, properly, for a full pony of coffee rather than a half, but also adds a quantity of cream, which is unnecessary here.

 

274. Pick-Me-Up Cocktail

 My interpretation:
  0.75 oz Rémy Martin VSOP
  0.75 oz Lustau Vermut
  0.5 oz St. George Absinthe Verte

Frappé (shake intensely with fine ice) 25-30 seconds, strain, serve. — This bracing morning recipe first appears in Straub 1913 in perfect thirds, and from thence is borrowed for JM1916 with a slight reduction of the absinthe. Typical of a class of drinks reputed to lift the spirits especially in the morning, it resembles similarly named recipes in a number of mixology books. Most notably, I may mention the 1931 Old Waldorf Bar Days recipe, 1:1 Absinthe to Sweet Vermouth with 2 dashes acid/lemon phosphate; shake, strain. Though absinthes vary in character, the principle that guides Jack’s adjustment here is well to note. With a softer white absinthe, for example, one might choose to use equal thirds, with a VS cognac, perhaps reduce its quantity. However, the drink should not be perfectly balanced. It should be “bracing.”

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.

172. Holstein Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1 oz Remy Martin VSOP
  1 oz Hiram Walker Blackberry Brandy
  1 dash Amaro Ciociaro

Shake 30 seconds with crushed ice, strain into cocktail glass, serve. — This Jack Grohusko original, ideal as an after-dinner brandy-based Duo, appears first in his Manual of 1908 and continues without change through every edition, being picked up by Straub along the way, who himself specifies Martell, though no brand is ever mentioned by Grohusko.

91. Clove Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1.5 oz Cocchi Vermouth di Torino
  1.5 oz Plymouth Sloe Gin
  1 tsp Remy Martin VSOP

Shake with ice, strain into cocktail glass, and serve. — This is a recipe, not in JM 1910 or earlier, is from Straub, and is essentially the same as the Clare Cocktail (or Duo) but that it is shaken, not stirred. For more variation and interest I am trying the Cocchi amber vermouth here, and cognac instead of my standard German brandy. I like the colder, thinner feel here with the slight bitterness and the nice layer of foam from shaking.

 

74. Captain Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1.5 oz Rémy Martin VSOP
  1.5 oz Carpano Antica.

Fill mixing-glass with cracked ice. Stir, strain, and serve. — This elegant and simple Duo first appears in the expanded JM 1916. There is no analogue in Straub.

 

68. Café au Kirsch Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1 oz Clear Creek Cherry Brandy
  1 oz Remy Martin VSOP
  1 Vital Farms pasteurized egg white
  1 oz Portland Brew Columbian roast coffee, ice-brewed (roasted by Summit Coffee Co.)

Frappé, or shake well with finely crushed ice until frost forms on shaker, about 20-30 seconds. Strain into goblet sufficient to hold 4–5 oz. drink so that no ice chips mar the egg-white head; serve. — This classic drink, a cocktail in name only, appears in JM 1916 following the same recipe as Straub 1914, which notably lacks sugar. It may be that Straub meant cherry cordial instead of Kirschwasser; Cherry Heering in fact works wonderfully here but makes for an entirely different drink. Preferably, if the customer desires, dissolve 1 tsp sugar in coffee before mixing.