351. Turf Club Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1 oz Bols Genever
  1 oz Martini & Rossi Vermouth Rosso

Fill mixing-glass half full with ice, stir well, strain into cocktail glass, serve. — This sweet Martini riff calls simply for “gin” here, which in Jack’s Manual should be a clue that a non-dry gin is meant, usually Holland or Old Tom. In JM 1912, the first JM appearance, the Holland gin is called for. The analogous recipe in Straub 1913 (called “Turf Cocktail No. 2” and adding bitters), has a malty, bread-like quality which is offset nicely by the vermouth and distinguishes the drink from the standard sweet Martini. Straub’s version with the bitters shows up again in The Old Waldorf Bar Days (1931), as he probably got it from the Old Waldorf bar. Depending on the vermouth, bitters could improve the drink; with a vermouth like Cocchi it might overdo it.