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Don't Give Up the Ship

1 1⁄2 oz Gin (Juniper-forward style)
1⁄2 oz Triple sec, Cointreau
1⁄2 oz Sweet vermouth, Carpano Antica Formula
1⁄2 oz Fernet Branca
1 ds Orange bitters, Angostura
Instructions

Stir over ice for 30 seconds; strain into chilled cocktail glass; garnish with orange peel.

History

See reference for history.

Cocktail summary
Created by
Unknown?
Is an
altered recipe
Reference

http://drinksanddrinking.com/2012/10/10/dont-give-up-the-ship/

Curator
Not yet rated
User rating
4 stars
(27 ratings)
Yields Drink

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From other users
  • Backed off the Fernet by .25 oz and that was a good call. — ★★★★
  • Gostei da formula. Preciso testar
  • Lower Fernet Branca to 0.25. Use sweet vermouth, vice Punt e Mes. Maybe too much Fernet?
  • Subbed vermouth for cynar
  • Very tasty, kind of cola like.
  • Smooth and sophisticated. A bit medicinal. — ★★★★
  • I think the 1/4 of Cointreau and fernet would be better
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Comments
AmyJ commented on 10/22/2013:

Looks good, as soon as I save up for Antica I'll try! The version I had, from the capable bartender at Pourhouse in Vancouver (recommended!) is 1 1/2 oz Tanqueray, 1/4oz fernet branca, 1/4oz orange curaçao and 1/2 oz Dubonnet. Also very tasty.

DrunkLab commented on 10/22/2013:

These are also the ratios from the Bartender's Choice app. This is a top three fernet drink for me.

MOJO1229 commented on 9/05/2016:

I carefully followed the recipe for "Don't Give Up the Ship," but I have to agree with two users who suggested less Fernet Brana. Both suggested only 1/4 oz instead of 1/2 oz. Using 1/2 oz of Fernet Branca overwhelms the other ingredients. I enjoy Fernet Branca in cocktails, but in this case, I believe more people will enjoy the drink by reducing the Fernet Branca to 1/4 to 1/3 oz. As is, I rated this drink at 3.5.

NOTE: I used Bombay Sapphire gin. Tanqueray gins tend not to be very "Juniper-forward," except for the recently released "Bloomsbury." It is definitely a Juniper-forward gin, that, in my opinion, gin-lovers in general will enjoy,

noksagt commented on 9/07/2016:

Made with Botanica, which is awfully junipery.  The Fernet is good at 0.25 oz or just above.

With Patron Citronge as the triple sec, 0.25 oz is too light & 0.5 oz is possibly a little heavy. I'd likely use a 0.25 and up the orange bitters.

This drink is promising enough that I gave it a 4, though I agree it benefits strongly from measuring-to-taste.

Miss Deville commented on 3/15/2018:

Fernet was a bit much at first and overpowered the orange but it improved as it warmed up so a longer time stirring might help as well.

ETA, I used Botanist gin which might not have the necessary heft. Also, source blog was very entertaining and full of scientific method cocktail nerding out. 

yarm commented on 3/04/2023:

The source is Crosby Gaige's Cocktail Guide and Ladies' Companion but calls for Dubonnet, not sweet vermouth. Also, Gaige copied the recipe of the Napoleon from the 1930 Savoy but renamed it (as he often did with recipes to fit that book's chapters' themes).