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Tuxedo Cocktail

1 oz Old Tom Gin
1 oz Dry vermouth
1 ds Maraschino Liqueur (or 2)
1 ds Absinthe
2 ds Orange bitters (or 3)
Instructions

Stir all ingredients with ice and strain in to a cocktail glass. Garnish with a Maraschino cherry and a lemon zest twist.

Notes

This is effectively the same as Savoy's Tuxedo #2 (but see note below). PDT has 2 Plymouth Gin, 1.5 Dolin Dry, .25 Luxardo Maraschino, 2 dashes orange bitters.

Cocktail summary
Created by
Harry Johnson
Year
1882
Is an
authentic recipe
Reference

Harry Johnson's Bartender's Manual, pg 267

Curator
Not yet rated
User rating
3.5 stars
(7 ratings)
Yields Drink

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From other users
  • Followed PDT spec and found it well balanced (even w/ navy strength gin). A bit plainer than the similar Ford cocktail.
  • Made the PDT recipe. Solid martini variant.
  • PDT p.257
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Comments
MOJO1229 commented on 7/30/2016:

<br /> A user cited PDT (The PDT Cocktail Book), page 257, with no other comment. Going to that book, I found the following Tuxedo Cocktail receipe
2 oz Plymouth gin
1.5 Dolin Dry Vermouth
.25 Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
2 dashes House Orange Bitters (half Regan's No. 6 orange bitters and half Fee Bros orange bitters

Preparation: Stir with ice and strain into a chilled, Vieux Pontarlier Absinthe-rinsed coupe

This is a totally different recipe, and just eyeballing the two, I think I would prefer PDT's. Also, note in PDT's recipe, the Absinthe is used as a rinse, and not included as an ingredient. Note, too, 1 oz of Old Tom gin is used in Kindred Cocktail's recipe, whereas 2 oz of Plymouth gin is used in PDT's recipe. An interesting difference. I wonder if the Old Tom gin should be bumped up to 2 oz also (or at least 1 1/2 oz). I'll find out when I try both recipes; I'll report my findings after trying the old and the revised new.

By the way, PDT gives credit for the Tuxedo cocktail to Harry Johnson, in his Bartender's Manual, 1900

Zachary Pearson commented on 7/30/2016:

I cleaned this up - The PDT version is modernized for a 4 ounce pre-chill volume. The Savoy  reflects the dominance of London gin at the time, swapping it out for the Old Tom of Johnson's time. Thanks,  Zachary

MOJO1229 commented on 7/30/2016:

As I said in my prior comment, I would try both recipes, and give you my impressions, suggestions, and recommendations. Here goes:
I started with the PDT recipe, calling for an Absinthe-rinsed glass, Plymouth gin, and 1/4 oz Luxardo Marachino liqueur, among other ingredients. The results: I loved this cocktail! The flavors were well-balanced, light in taste, and a delight to drink. I would rate it a 4.5 for your cocktail book. NOTE: the PDT recipe calls for 1 1/2 oz of Dolin dry vermouth; although I like Dolin vermouth, I am not fond of dry vermouth, so I used only 1 1/4 oz of Dolin dry vermouth.

As for the recipe given by Kindred Cocktails; I used 2 oz (not 1 oz) of Hayman's Old Tom gin, Dolin dry vermouth (in both recipes), St George Absinthe Verte (in both recipes), and Regans' No. 6 Orange bitters (whereas I used the house Orange bitters recipe given in PDT for the PDT recipe). The results: This version of the Tuxedo Cocktail lacked much in the way of flavor--what came through mostly was the Absinthe and the lemon zest. I could not taste the Luxardo Marischino at all (so I added a "skinny" 1/4 oz Luxardo Maraschino, and it made a big difference). My rating: Between 2.5 to 3.0

MY RECOMMENDATIONS: For a more flavorful and satisfying Tuxedo Cocktail, use the recipe from PDT (pg. 257), which I gave in yesterday's comment (in case you do not have a copy of the PDT book). Also, use 1 1/4 oz or 1 1/2 oz of Dolin dry vermouth, depending upon your taste. If you prefer to use Kindred Cocktail's version of the Tuxedo Cocktail, be sure to use 2 oz of Old Tom gin--1 oz will not suffice.

Craig E commented on 12/12/2024:

For what it's worth, Punch likes the (#2) version at My Loup, which is 

  • 2.25 Plymouth gin 
  • .5 Dolin Blanc 
  • .25 Maraska maraschino 
  • 4 dashes Regan's 
  • 3 spritzes Pernod Absinthe Supérieure 

expressed and discarded lemon twist and cherry garnish

yarm commented on 12/13/2024:

That blanc vermouth containing article explains why my new bar's recipe bible has the Tuxedo with blanc instead of dry and less vermouth than our Turf Club (essentially the Tuxedo but published elsewhere).

Shawn C commented on 12/13/2024:

It looks like the Punch recipe (from 2024) is repeat of a prior recipe. Difford's Guide has the Tuxdeo No. 2 (Flora Bar's Recipe) from a 2017 version by that Manhattan bar. The bar originally used Plymouth and Dolin Blanc. Difford's adaptation is simplified to just 2 1/4 "gin", and 1/2 whatever Bianco/Blanc they are pushing (Strucchi at this time), 1/4 Luxardo Maraschino, and 4 dashes orange bitters w/ absinthe rinse.

So for Tuxedo No. 2 variants, there are three different historical gin styles to play with (without counting genevers), plus a dry or blanc vermouth. That is six to eight combinations (the latter with a generic genever) assuming the maraschino/orange bitters/absinthe rinse are unchanged, and that the gin/vermouth ratios are also fixed.