212. Loftus Cocktail

See No. 121: The Duchess Cocktail.

142. Fourth Degree Cocktail

My interpretation:
  0.75 oz Copper & King’s Absinthe Blanche
  0.75 oz Martini & Rossi Extra Dry
  0.75 oz Cocchi Vermouth di Torino

Shake with ice about 30 seconds, double strain into cocktail glass, serve. — This recipe comes to JM 1916 from Straub 1913. The Savoy Cocktail Book recipe has equal parts dry vermouth, sweet vermouth, and gin, with only 2 dashes of absinthe. This seems more accessible. Nevertheless, the present recipe is itself more accessible than the Duchess above, the only difference being the specified absinthe. In the Duchess, I used St. George Absinthe Verte. Here, since it called for white, I used the Copper & King’s absinthe alembic blanche, which is noticeably smoother and harmonizes better with the vermouths.
 

121. Duchess Cocktail

My interpretation:
  0.75 oz Dolin Rouge
  0.75 oz Noilly Prat Extra Dry
  0.75 oz St. George Absinthe Verte

Fill shaker with cracked ice, shake well (about 20 seconds or 30 shakes), strain into cocktail glass, and serve. — This aggressive recipe was first borrowed from Straub 1913 into JM 1916 as the “Dutchess” and is also found in the Savoy Cocktail Book. The Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book (1935) adds a dash of orange bitters to no avail. No attempt to change or refine the ratio was ever made until modern times, when the taste of the day prefer a 3:3:1, with the absinthe taking more of a backseat (the attempt being made, anyway). However, sufficient shaking on fine or cracked ice will yield a palatably diluted mixture both bracing and refreshing, and even pleasant to the more ardent devotees of anise.