380. Yale Cocktail

 My interpretation:
  2 oz Bombay Sapphire London Dry gin
  1 dash Regan’s Orange Bitters 
  1 dash St. George Absinthe Verte
  1 lemon peel

Fill mixing-glass with cracked ice, shake, strain into cocktail glass, twist lemon peel, garnish, serve. — This recipe comes from Straub 1913. Craddock’s version in 1930 has orange bitters, Angostura, lemon peel, and a splash of soda. The Old Waldorf Bar Days, with this note:

calls for Tom Gin and Sweet Vermouth stirred and strained and finished with the seltzer. McElhone in 1927 calls for gin, orange bitters, Angostura bitters, lemon peel, and soda. Which drink best represents the institution in question is unsure.

375. White Elephant Cocktail

My interpretation:

  1.25 oz Tinkerman’s Sweet Spice Gin

  1 oz Cocchi Vermouth di Torino

  1 egg white

Fill mixing-glass with chipped or broken ice, shake well (about 30 seconds), strain into cocktail glass, serve. — This creamy Sweet Martini + Egg White first appears in Straub 1913 in a 2:1 ratio. When it was taken into JM1916, it was weakened slightly to 3:2. The 2:1 ratio also appears in The Old Waldorf Bar Days (1931), doubtless a belated record of the original source.

366. Waldorf Queen Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1 oz Tinkerman’s Gin (Sweet Spice)
  0.5 oz Martini & Rossi Rosso
  0.5 Dolin Dry
  1 quarter orange
  2 quarter-slices pineapple

Muddle pineapple in shaker, add ingredients and fine ice, rappé well (shake vigorously 30 till nicely frosted), strain into cocktail glass, serve. — In 1913, Jacques Straub, ever the entrepeneur of all things Waldorf, includes this Bronx variant under the name Waldorf Queen’s. JM1916 picks up with slight variation, dropping the possessive marker (and thus any connection to a New York borough name, a là Bronx). The same drink proved popular and was included in books like McElhone’s 1927 Barflies & Cocktails (under the simplified name Waldorf). The Old Waldorf Bar Days (1931), which usually holds the best claim, calls it the Waldorf Bronx and makes it much simpler than a Bronx, with only gin, orange juice, and pineapple slices:

Here is my version of Jack’s recipe.

365. Waldorf Special Cocktail.

 My interpretation:
  2 oz Rothman & Winter Orchard Apricot
  1 T lime juice

Shake well (30 seconds), strain into cocktail glass, serve. — This recipe, if it may be called that (better, an apricot liqueur treatment neatly balanced with a little lime), which makes a nice post-prandial, is first described in Straub 1913 (specifying “apricotine”) before appearing in JM 1916. It does not appear in the Old Waldorf Bar Days book—which doesn’t mean, of course, that it was not served or invented there. When combined with a dry martini, it becomes a Webster (q.v.)

357. Union League Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1.25 oz Gin Lane 1751 Old Tom
  0.75 oz Offley Tawny Port
  1 dash Fee Brothers Orange Bitters

Fill mixing-glass half full with ice, stir well (about 30 seconds), strain into cocktail glass, serve. — The Union League comes to JM1916 from Straub 1913/1914, where it has the slightly stronger ratio of 2:1 rather than 3:2. It is named for one of the famous conservative clubs, perhaps that in New York on Union Square, which has since moved; though since this recipe is found first in Straub, who spent time in Chicago, that Union Club may be the originator. Its similarity to Kappeler’s Princeton Cocktail is notable (Jack’s is a Gin Cocktail topped with Seltzer), except that he layers in the port neatly instead of stirring it in. The Union League is all but forgotten as such (a brand new, impostor “Union League” with whisky and orange juice is now being promoted), with the Princeton slightly more common. The most famous Gin+Port drink at present seems to be the more citrusy Crimson.

 

353. Tussetto Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1.25 oz Castle & Key London Dry Gin
  0.75 oz El Maestro Sierra Oloroso Sherry
  2 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters

Fill mixing-glass half full of broken ice, stir, strain into cocktail glass, serve. — This recipe, otherwise known as a Sherry Martini, is closely linked to the Tuxedo Club, also spelled Tucseto or Tucsedo after the Indian term for which the eponymous community club was named. Grohusko’s spelling here seems unique, and may be regarded as an Italianized interpretation of the spelling, though it first appears that way not in JM 1916 but in Straub 1913. The Savoy (1930) has two Tuxedos of the martini+absinthe vein, neither with sherry. It is the most simple and elegant of all the Tuxedo-related drinks. Further information for this and the next drink, the Tuxedo proper, is found here.
 

347. Trowbridge Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1 oz Castle & Key London Dry Gin
  1 oz Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth
  1 dash Regan’s Orange Bitters

Fill mixing-glass half full with ice, stir, strain into whisky glass, garnish with orange twist, serve. — This Sweet Martini with a twist, served down, first appears in Straub 1913 in a 2:1 ratio, sweetened up to 1:1, as usual, when copied by JM1916. There is no mention of ice, so a legitimate form of this drink would include a direct pour, esp. if the vermouth is duly chilled.

345. Treasurer Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1.5 oz Castle & Key London Dry Gin
  0.5 oz Noilly Prat Extra Dry Gin
  1 slice orange (for mixing)

Fill mixing-glass with broken ice, stir, strain, garnish with orange twist, serve. — This strong dry martini with an orange twist appears in Straub 1913 by the slightly different name Treasury, with an orange slice instead of twist, to be shaken (frappéed) with the other ingredients. I have included the orange component on both ends for the added distinction from other similar recipes.

 

344. Tiptop Cocktail

My intepretation:
  2 oz Martini & Rossi Dry Vermouth
  4 dashes DOM Benedictine
  3 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters
  1 dash Angostura aromatic bitters

Shake with ice, strain into cocktail glass, serve. — This light, vermouth-based drink appropriate for any time of day, first appears in print in Straub 1913, from which it is borrowed for JM1916. The drink probably originates with the Old Waldorf bar. The 1931 publication of the manual includes this recipe with the following differences: 2 dashes Angostura (not 1), no orange bitters, stirred (not shaken), lemon twist.

343. Taxi Cocktail

My interpretation:

  1 oz Castle & Key dry gin

  1 oz Dolin Dry

  2 tsp lime juice

  2 tsp St. George absinthe verte

Fill shaker with fine ice, frappé / shake vigorously 40-50 strokes, strain into cocktail glass, serve. — This cold dry martini with lime and absinthe comes from Straub 1913 and finds its way thence into JM1916, which changes barspoons to teaspoons but keeps everything else the same.

340. Sunshine Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1.5 oz Beefeater London Dry Gin
  0.5 oz Noilly Prat Extra Dry Vermouth
  1 tsp lime juice
  1/2 tsp Jack Rudy Grenadine
  1 egg white

Shake vigorously with a little ice about 45 seconds, strain into claret glass or 5-6 oz stemmed glass, serve. — This gin-and-lime brunch recipe, resembling a frothed up, fancy Gin Daisy/Sour, first appears in Straub 1913 with some additional details (Old Tom gin, 2-person drink), whence it finds its way into JM1916. An unrelated drink by this name in Barflies & Cocktails (1927) is essentially a brandy-rum sour. The 1931 Old Waldorf Bar Days has a somewhat related Sunshine amounting to a lemon-lime silver fizz in a lemonade glass, omitting sweetener. Modern drinks bearing this name are unrelated, or perhaps derived from McElhone’s recipe.
  

339. Strawberry Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1.5 oz Martell Cognac VS
  0.5 oz homemade strawberry syrup
  1 dash Luxardo maraschino
  2 dashes Regan’s orange bitters

Fill mixing-glass with ice, shake, strain into cocktail glass, serve. — This fruity, “improved” strawberry and brandy dessert duo is first found in Straub 1913 and is borrowed for JM1916. The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930) features a large-format (6 serving) drink made with strawberries, orange juice, whisky, and ice. Closer is the Old Waldorf Bar Days (1931) recipe, which only differs by reduction of orange bitters by 1 dash.

 

335. Sphinx Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1.25 oz Beefeater Dry Gin
  0.33 oz Dolin Dry
  0.33 oz Vermut Lustau

Fill mixing-glass with ice, stir, strain into cocktail glass, garnish with lemon peel or slice. — This perfect martini riff with thin lemon garnish first appears in Straub 1913 and is picked up in JM1916.

317. Scheuer Cocktail

 My interpretation:
  1 oz Vermut Lustau
  1 oz Dubonnet Rouge

Fill mixing-glass with cracked ice, stir, strain into cocktail glass, serve. — This simple, light, vermouthy Duo appetizer goes back to JM1908 and continues unchanged. In 1913, Straub includes the recipe (perhaps they both may be traced to the same source) with the probably wise addition of 1 dash Angostura Bitters, but the dash of Bitters is not incorporated by Grohusko in 1916 or 1933.

313. St. Peter Cocktail

My interpretation:
  2 oz Beefeater Dry Gin
  1 dash fresh lime juice
  1 dash gum syrup

Shake with ice 20 seconds, strain into cocktail glass, serve. — The third “saint” in Straub provides JM1916 and 1933 with this variation on a Gin Cocktail sans bitters, lime for lemon, sanding the edges of the dry gin very neatly. It might conversely be considered a sort of boozy, gin-forward Gimlet, easy on the additives (another drink in the Miscellaneous section, the Lime Kiln, forms the opposite pole, with a proportionally greater quotient of lime and syrup, of which two the Gimlet (not otherwise represented in JM) would represent the average.

312. St. John Cocktail

My interpretation:

  1 oz Gin Lane 1751 Old Tom Gin

  1 oz Casa Mariol Vermut Negra

  1 dash Fee Brothers Orange Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into cocktail glass, serve. — The second of the three “saints” from the analogous section of Straub, this slightly sweeter Martini varies depending on the Martini recipe referred to. In Straub, it’s a 2:1 sweet vermouth Martini. Grohusko’s Martini is, as typical, adjusted to 1:1, favoring a cheaper mixture (or less-inebriated customer!).

 

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.

 

306. Rossington Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1.25 oz Gin Lane 1751 Old Tom Gin
  0.75 oz Noilly Prat Rouge

Fill mixing-glass with ice, stir well (20 seconds), strain into cocktail glass, twist orange peel, garnish, serve. — There are two Rossingtons (AKA Martinis), one with dry gin, dry vermouth, and lemon peel, and another as given here. The Dry Rossington appears in JM1910–1912. After Straub’s influence, JM1916 has the Sweet Rossington with Old Tom. Thus I justify interpreting JM1933’s unqualified “gin” along the same lines. A similar pair of dry and sweet Rossingtons is found in the Old Waldorf Bar Days (1931). Spelled “Rosington” in the Savoy (1930), it is there built as 2:1 with dry gin to sweet vermouth orange peel.

305. Rose Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1 oz (overfull) Castle & Key Dry Gin
  0.5 oz (scant) Jack Rudy grenadine
  0.5 oz (scant) fresh orange juice

Fill shaker half-full with cracked ice, shake 20-30 seconds, strain into cocktail glass, serve. — This recipe (the name has been taken for many differing recipes of various qualities) is first found in Straub 1913. The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930) attempts to gather most of these. What they all have in common is dry gin, and several of them, grenadine (being helpful for achieving the right color). The main division is English vs. French, the former being a kind of punch or blossom, the latter distinguished by having some kind of cherry ingredient (either kirsch or cherry brandy) along with something to weaken or sweeten (vermouth or grenadine). The English is reflected in our recipe in the punchlike mixture of succulent orange juice, grenadine for color and sweetening (shared with the French family of Roses) and gin, of course. The Savoy English recipe is a more complex punch: lemon, grenadine, apricot, dry vermouth, dry gin. The Old Waldorf Bar Days (1931) version is an outlier, simply 4:1 dry gin and Grand Marnier. The modern Rose adopted by the IBA shows that the French won out, and is traced back to McElhone’s recipe in Barflies and Cocktails (1931)—2/3 dry vermouth with a little kirschwasser and redcurrant syrup (generally replaced by grenadine today). Adding absinthe to our recipe makes it essentially a Monkey Gland, another of McElhone’s creations. Replacing grenadine with orange liqueur or sweet vermouth gives us an Orange Blossom. Here is an interesting survey of Rose cocktails.

301. Robin Cocktail

 My interpretation:
  1.75 oz The Famous Grouse blended Scotch whisky
  0.25 oz cinchona-calisaya liqueur

Fill mixing-glass half-full with ice, stir 20 seconds, strain into cocktail glass, garnish with amarena cherry, serve. — This orange-tinged, slightly bittersweet, Scotch-forward cocktail, perfectly finished by the cherry, first enters the JM canon in 1916, a borrowing from Straub or otherwise inherited from the Old Waldorf tradition. The Old Waldorf Bar Days (1931) renders the drink in equal parts Scotch and calisaya, specifies stirring and straining (hence implying ice), and also features the cherry. The Robber Cocktail in Barflies & Cocktails (1927) is tantalizingly close, a Rob Roy served with a cherry. We may view the Robin as a riff on the Rob Roy replacing both vermouth and bitters with calisaya.