Country Life

1 1⁄2 oz Bourbon
3⁄4 oz Jamaican rum
3⁄4 oz Port
2 ds Orange bitters
1 twst Orange peel (as garnish)
Instructions

Stir, strain, up, twist.

Notes

These are Sam Ross' ratios. I've also found a recipe online calling for one ounce of bourbon and Angostura in addition to the orange bitters, but I don't know whether that is the original recipe.

Cocktail summary
Created by
Crosby Gaige's Cocktail Guide
Year
1945
Is an
authentic recipe
Reference

Sam Ross' Bartender's Choice app for iOS

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Average
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(5 ratings)
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Comments
yarm commented on 4/12/2022:

In Crosby Gaige's Cocktail Guide and Ladies' Companion, the recipe is 1 jigger Bourbon, 1/2 jigger Jamaican rum, 1/2 jigger port wine, 3 dash Angostura Bitters, 1 dash orange bitters. Shake/strain/cocktail glass. This is essentially Gaige renaming the Suburban to fit his chapter's theme which he commonly did in that book.
https://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/2009/11/suburban.html

Punch published Richie Boccato's spec from Farmer & Sons in Hudson, New York which specified a tawny port.
1 1/2 ounces bourbon, preferably Old Grand-Dad
3/4 ounce Jamaican rum, preferably Appleton Estate Signature Blend
3/4 ounce tawny port, preferably Porto Kopke Fine Tawny
Orange twist.
https://punchdrink.com/recipes/country-life/

I can confirm the recipe that Frederic Yarm listed above is the same as in Gaige's 1944 Standard Cocktail Guide. Note that the jigger volume Gaige listed in 1944 was 1.5 oz. It calls for shaking rather than stirring, but that is one of those strange things about the period that is best ignored to follow modern practice depending on composition.

The original "Suburban" mentioned in the 1935 The Old Waldorf Astoria Bar Book is: 3/5 Whiskey, 1/5 Port, 1/5 Jamaican Rum, 1 dash Angostura, 1 dash Orange bitters. It is odd to me that the Punch variant of "Country Life" lacks any bitters, since there were 4 total dashes in Gaige's version. That boost in the Angostura aromatic bitters is what set it apart other than the minor difference in ratio of whiskey.