Puritan Cocktail
Stir, strain, up.
"The Cocktail Book: A Sideboard Manual for Gentlemen", published by L.C. Page & Co. in 1901, but copyright 1900.
- Lemon twist is essential here to balance out the Gin botanicals and Chartreuse sweetness
- 2oz (60ml) gin .75oz (22.5ml) Yellow Chartreuse .5oz (15ml) Dry Vermouth 2 Dashes Feegans Orange Bitters Lemon Twist
- Poet's Dream — Gin, Dry vermouth, Orange bitters, Bénédictine, Lemon peel
- Racquet Club Cocktail — Gin, Dry vermouth, White Crème de Cacao, Orange bitters, Lemon peel
- Journalist — Gin, Bianco Vermouth, Rose vermouth, Triple sec, Bitters, Lemon juice, Maraschino cherry
- The Eyrie — Gin, Dry vermouth, Eau de vie of Douglas Fir, Herbal liqueur, Grapefruit bitters, Grapefruit peel
- Left to a Decision — Gin, Bianco Vermouth, Blue Curaçao, Orange bitters, Orange peel
Alaska improved with dry vermouth, very nice. I've seen this on a menu with Dolin Blanc for Dry Vermouth, under the name "Vandelay Industries" which comes off a bit too sweet still.
Swapped Chartreuse for Strega and double it.
Curated to correct name of original reference text, publisher, and year (1900 vs. 1926). Author not listed, but a 2009 recipe/discussion of the cocktail on Frederic Yarm's site indicates Fredrick L. Knowles was the author. I also corrected a substantial error in the recipe: rather than 1/2 barspoon of yellow Chartreuse it actually lists "one spoonful". Since modern bar spoon sizes vary and are often short or very short of a teaspoon, a half barspoon would be far too little, likely less than half the minimum correct recipe. I am listing this as 1 teaspoon. Teaspoonful and tablespoonful are listed many places in the book (primarily for sugar), "small spoonful" is listed once and "spoonful" alone is listed only in this cocktail--regrettably ambiguous. Tablespoon is unlikely as it would be more likely listed as "one-third" since ~two ounce cocktails were common. Also corrected ratio of gin to vermouth to 2:1, by upping vermouth to 3/4 oz.
Tested the corrected recipe using Plymouth gin, Noilly Prat Original Dry (not extra-dry that is now the norm in the U.S. market), Yellow Chartreuse and Bitter Truth orange bitters. Balanced, yet complex for an otherwise drier cocktail. Herbal mint/alpine/juniper/anise along with bitter orange, and alcohol heat. Noilly original provides good white wine flavor and body underneath, and moderate wormwood bite to the finish.