Tuxedo Cocktail (Harry Johnson)

<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

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

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.

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

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).

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.

I am going to curate this to correct the reference and year. Harry Johnson's Bartender Manual didn't have 267 pages until 1900 revised edition, so the 1882 year is wrong, and this is from the 1900 edition. This makes sense with Wondrich's 2007 statement about the Tuxedo Club (est. 1886) being the origin of the cocktail, and to a different spec. I will also change for format for noting extra dashes.