The Vesper

When Bond, James Bond, walks into a bar, he is known to order The Vesper:

• 3.0 ounces gin
• 1.0 ounce vodka
• 0.5 ounce Lillet Blanc

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker. Strain into a stemmed cocktail glass. Twist a large swathe of lemon peel over the surface of the drink and drop it in.

For a long time I did not like gin. But then there was the time I was at Vong’s in Chicago (sadly, now closed) with my friends Demetri and Cat. My usual go-to drink at that time was a highball of bourbon and ginger ale, but Vong’s didn’t have any ginger ale. The place was packed and Demetri ordered a martini with Bombay Sapphire gin, so rather than hold up the line I just decided to order the same to make it easy. I liked it so much I had two.

The Delicious Sour

I had heard that a lot of old cocktail recipes included eggs, and this is the first I’ve ever made, The Delicious Sour:

• 2.0 ounces applejack
• 2.0 ounces peach flavored brandy
• juice of one fresh lime (1 to 1.5 ounces)
• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• soda water

Shake all but the soda in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a goblet or large cocktail glass. Add a splash of soda water.

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Knickerbocker á la Monsieur

While the majority of cocktails I’ve made so far are based on rye or gin, in the early “archaic” age of cocktails the default spirit was rum, as in the Knickerbocker á la Monsieur:

• 2.0 ounces Virgin Islands rum
• 0.5 ounces orange curaçao
• 0.5 ounce raspberry syrup
• 1.0 ounce lemon juice
• 1 slice orange
• 1 slice pineapple

Add all to crushed ice in a goblet, collins glass or tumbler, stir and serve. Garnish with more fruits in season.

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Amer Picon

Several of the recipes in the book require a spirit called Amer Picon. They don’t make it anymore so I had to locate a recipe online:

• 3.00 bottles Amaro Ramazzotti
• 7.50 cups orange tincture
• 0.75 bottle [Stirrings Blood Orange bitters][3]
• 0.75 liter Evian Place all ingredients into a container and stir. Allow ingredients to get to know each other for at least one week. Keep excess refrigerated.

I cut this recipe drastically. My first attempt at making orange tincture only resulted in a cup, but this should make more than enough Amer Picon for me to use in these recipes. If I like it I’ll make more.

The Monkey Gland

No classic cocktail book (or blog) would be complete without The Monkey Gland:

• 1.5 ounces dry gin
• 1.5 ounces orange juice
• 1 teaspoon pomegranate grenadine
• 1 teaspoon absinthe or pastis

Shake vigorously in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a small cocktail glass.

It’s funny in that Dr. Cocktail basically devoted a single sentence to The Blinker but this cocktail rates pages of description. There is a good reason for it – the story behind the name of this drink is pretty unbelievable.

Blood and Sand

Not many cocktails today feature Scotch as the spirit, but this wasn’t always the case as is demonstrated by the Blood and Sand:

• 1.00 ounce Scotch
• 1.00 ounce orange juice
• 0.75 ounce cherry-flavored brandy
• 0.75 ounce sweet vermouth

Shake in an iced cocktail shaker, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.

There are a couple of vintage cocktails I’ve seen in the wild, and this is one of them. I have had it at least twice but while I found it good it never wowed me. Until now.

Tarus the Bull

When Justin Peregoy, the cocktail chef at the Oak Leaf, heard we were going there for my birthday he named that night’s special cocktail Tarus the Bull:

• 1.5 ounces Bulleit Rye
• 0.5 ounce blood orange juice
• 0.5 ounce Fernet Branca
• 0.5 ounce cinnamon simple syrup
• 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Pour the first four ingredients into a bar glass with ice. Stir until cold then strain into a cocktail glass. Add bitters. Garnish with a lemon twist.

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