1919

3⁄4 oz Rum, Old Monk
3⁄4 oz Rye, Rittenhouse 100
1⁄2 oz Bénédictine
1 oz Sweet vermouth, Carpano Punt e Mes
1 ds Bitters, Bittermens Xocolatl Mole
Instructions

Stir over ice, strain.

Notes

Slightly bitter, slightly sweet, somewhat like a Manhattan

Cocktail summary
Posted by Dan on
Created by
Ben, Drink, Boston, MA
Year
2008
Is an
authentic recipe
Reference

http://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/2008/11/1919-cocktail.html

Curator
Not yet rated
Average
4 stars
(36 ratings)
YieldsDrink
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From other users
  • Prefer with 1/2 sweet vermouth and over a large rock — ★★★★
  • Over one large ice cube? Tone down Punte Mes to all equal parts? does well with lemon garnish. Cherry maybe? Barbencourt was used for rhum. — ★★★★
  • On the sweeter side, so I like a little more robust rum substitution.
  • Excellent drink although maybe a little too much like a Manhattan for my taste.
  • Try with 1/2 rum, 1 oz rye next time. Remember 1 dash mole bitters
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Comments

Recipes specifically calling for Old Monk are so few and far between, I had to give this one a spin. The full ounce of Punt e Mes beats back most of the rye nuances and even most of the endearing harshness of the Old Monk. Certainly the Bénédictine comes through loud and clear. Successive sips do reveal more of the base spirits' character, but they definitely play a backseat to the Punt e Mes and Bénédictine.

I might need to revisit this one with good old Noily Prat to try to strike a rum/rye/vermouth balance that is more to my liking, but this is one that is worth further reflection and experimentation.

yarm commented on 1/07/2022:

I now work at Drink, and it is made with 1 dash mole bitters and no garnish now as it was back in 2008. As per my blog and per the Drink bar bible. Everything else is a variation.

Surprised that it doesn't have a cherry garnish. A bit too close to a Manhattan - will try increasing the rum/rye balance.

yarm commented on 3/09/2023:

When I was working at Drink, it was discussed how if there were to be a garnish, nutmeg would be the one. It has enough body that a sweet cherry would be superfluous. In my mind the 1919 is an expansion of the Fort Point Cocktails at that bar (double the Punt e Mes and Benedictine amounts and split the rye with Old Monk Rum) and starker form gets a cherry garnish.
https://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/2008/10/fort-point-cocktail.html

bza commented on 3/10/2023:

I feel like I had this at No 9 Park and it pre-dated the Fort Point, but maybe I am misremembering... it was part of the Old Monk craze of that era.

yarm commented on 3/10/2023:

It was not on the menu at No. 9 Park right before or after Drink opened in October 2008. There's a chance that Ben Sandrof had been tinkering with it before Drink finally opened, but I have never seen a reference to that possibility (including my own time spent in that establishment), and it has always been spoken of as a Drink house original. Then again, this is history told in bars by folks that drink.

bza commented on 3/14/2023:

yeah, didn't mean to imply it was on the menu, just that I had it there

Reduce Punt e Mes to 0.75 oz, bump up rum to compensate. Worth trying over a large sphere.