43. Blackstone Cocktail No. 3. (Special)

My interpretation:
  1 dash Grande Absente absinthe
  1.25 oz Martini & Rossi Extra Dry
  1.75 oz St. George Botanivore

Shake with ice, strain, serve. Garnish with lemon. — Yet another, and final, cocktail from the Blackstone Hotel bar’s presumptive inauguration, a riff on the No. 2, adding absinthe.
 

38. Bismarck Cocktail

My interpretation:
  3 oz Bulleit 95 pf Rye
  2 dashes Angostura Bitters
  1 dash Grande Absente absinthe

Build in lowball glass beginning with absinthe and bitters, add large ice, pour over whiskey, stir briefly. Garnish with half orange slice. — Obviously this has no relation to that “Bismarck” mixture of schwarzbier and champagne, aside from the name, which in some places came to be called the Black Velvet from 1914 on.

 

28. Beauty Cocktail

My interpretation:
  1.5 oz Hawthorn’s London Dry Gin
  0.75 oz Martini & Rossi Extra Dry Vermouth
  0.75 oz Yzaguirre Rojo Sweet Vermouth
  1 eggwhite
  1 dash Grande Absente absinthe
  1 barspoon sugar syrup 

Shake ingredients over cracked ice, finely strain, serve.

 

20. Ballantine Cocktail

My interpretation
  1 dash Grande Absente absinthe
  1 oz Martini & Rossi Extra Dry Vermouth
  0.25 oz Yzaguirre Blanco
  1.75 oz Hawthorn’s London Dry Gin

Shake over ice, strain, and serve. I mix my vermouths here the better to bridge the gin and absinthe. I think Dolin Dry would be good. Cynical remark: Martini with absinthe. Cynical remark no. 2: no Ballantine’s Scotch is involved in the creation of this drink. Interestingly, in the 1916 Edition, Jack specifies Gordon Dry gin.
 

18. Aviation Cocktail

A couple preliminary remarks are due here. Firstly, this is clearly not the Aviation Cocktail that predominates today, but the signature in-flight cocktail featured on a certain airline cocktail menu, which eventually fell out favor. You might sometimes find this cocktail called Aviation #1, which suits me fine. Jack knows of crème Yvette, but not of the Aviation #2. Secondly, note that the math doesn’t quite add up. The proportions are actually in relation to separate jiggers, as clarified in Jacques Straub’s 1914 book:

My interpretation:
  2.25 oz Laird & Co. Applejack
  0.75 oz fresh lime juice
  1 dash Grand Absente absinthe
  6 dashes (2 barspoons) Rose’s Grenadine

Shake well over ice, strain, garnish with lime wedge. The absinthe works here in a way similar to the Monkey Gland, and really takes it a notch above the “Applejack Cocktail (Special)” in a previous post.

 

1. Absinthe Cocktail

My interpretation:
  2.25 oz Grand Absente absinthe
  1 dash Regan’s Orange Bitters
  1 dash Angostura Bitters
  1 dash Romana Sambuca (in lieu of anisette)

Shake well. I interpolate a full glass of cracked ice, although it is not specified. Jack says his normal shake is 10 seconds. Given that the three dashes are not going to raise the 2.25 oz of absinthe to a 3 oz cocktail, we are depending on wet ice or a long shake to obtain the proper volume. I add a garnish of fresh mint from the garden, also not specified.