Trilby Cocktail #2

1 oz Scotch, Glenmorangie (Quinta Ruban)

Instructions

Stir, up, orange twist garnish

Cocktail summary

Created by

Patrick Gavin Duffy, "The Official Mixer's Manual"

Year

1940

Is of

unknown authenticity

Reference

Shawn (?), Teardrop Lounge, Portland, OR

Curator

Not yet rated

Average

2 stars

(1 rating)

Cocktail Book

From other users

Substituted Crème Yvette. Very odd.

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Comments

What Parfait Amour do you use? I've found that whenever I try to use my Marie Brizzard, it simply ruins everything it touches. Should I solder bravely on and try this? I haven't tried Creme de Yvette, but maybe that would work?

I also moderated the 3 oz of absinthe to the intended 3 dashes. 3 oz would be quite a drink ;)

Dan,

Thanks for the edit on the absinthe ;) I'm not sure which brand of Parfait Amour they used at Teardrop, but there can't be that many available in the market. This had that weird 40's era balance (remember the Bengal?), but was complex and interesting.

This is essentially the Savoy corruption of one of the two original 1900 Trilby cocktails, the Scotch variation in Harry Johnson's 1900 "Bartender's Guide" rather than the Old Tom Gin variant in James Maloney's 1900 "20th Century Guide for Mixing Fancy Drinks." (Although Frederic Yarm's write up on the Trilby lists the drink as being in the 1882 version of Johnson's "Bartender Guide", I don't find it there and assume that the earlier edition was listed in error. The Trilby novel that was the basis for the cocktail was not published until 1894.)

Johnson's 1900 Trilby: "Fill up with shaved ice;
2 dashes of absinthe;
2 or 3 dashes of orange bitters;
2 or 3 dashes of "Parafait d'Amour;"
1/2 wine glass of Scotch whiskey;
1/2 wine glass of Italian vermouth;
Stir up well with a spoon; strain into a cocktail
glass, putting in cherries, and squeeze a piece of lemon
peel on top, then serve."

Harry Craddock's Savoy Cocktail Book perhaps inadvertently changed the Parfait d'Amour to equal parts with the Scotch and vermouth. I have made this in the past and even with the whiskey increased by half and the Parfait d'Amour decreased by half, I wasn't happy with it. I should probably go back and try it per the 1900 recipe.

The other Trilby variant with Old Tom gin, Italian vermouth, Creme de Violette, and orange bitters looks more promising. Unfortunately the Savoy Cocktail Book butchered it as well, by omitting the Creme de Violette in the Trilby Cocktail No. 1. Jack Grohusko's 1908 version of the Trilby used Creme Yvette in its place. It is this version that I most want to try with my own recently completed knock off of Creme Yvette (since Yvette hasn't been available for several years.)