Café Royal Special

3⁄4 oz Gin
3⁄4 oz Sloe gin
3⁄4 oz Dry vermouth
3⁄4 oz Lemon juice
Instructions

Shake, strain, up.

Notes

Original recipe given in parts. Very tart and dry; some will want a teaspoon (or more) of simple in this one.

YieldsDrink
Year
1936
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
William J Tarling, The Café Royal Cocktail Book.
Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
3.5 stars
(5 ratings)
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  • Stone Fruit Sour — Gin, Apricot liqueur, Aromatized wine, Bitters, Lemon juice

Made with a full 1/4 oz maple syrup to offset the overwhelming sourness down to merely very tart.


Holland Razor Blade

2 oz Genever
3⁄4 oz Lemon juice
3⁄4 oz Simple syrup (1:1)
1 pn Cayenne pepper (as garnish)
Instructions

Shake, strain, up, garnish with a pinch of cayenne powder.

YieldsDrink
Year
1946
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
via Charles H. Baker's Gentleman's Companion.
Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
3.5 stars
(3 ratings)
From other users
  • Nose is a bit household-cleanerish. Taste is accessible and lemonadey, with an interesting kick of the pepper. Mexican riff on this site is more interesting.
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jaba commented on 3/05/2014:

This was great. I used a 2:1 demerara syrup and used about 1/3 oz. Nice lingering tingle from the cayenne.


Surprisingly complex and a bit lemonades. Made it with tarragon syrup I had and that worked well


New Amsterdam Sour

1 1⁄2 oz Genever, Bols
3⁄4 oz Lemon juice
1⁄2 oz Simple syrup (1:1)
1⁄2 oz Red wine (as float)
Instructions

Shake, strain, rocks, insert straws, top with crushed ice, float about a half ounce of red wine on top.

Notes

Visually striking genever version of the rye-based New York Sour.

YieldsDrink
Year
2012
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
Jacob Grier, Metrovino, Portland, OR.
Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
Not yet rated
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The Hard Sell

3⁄4 oz Herbal liqueur, Jeppson's Malort
3⁄4 oz Gin, Beefeater
3⁄4 oz Lemon juice
Instructions

Shake, strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze grapefruit peel to release essences, but don't drop in drink.

Notes

For Chicago natives only I suppose... It's hard to find malort outside the city.

History

Created by Brad Bolt of Bar DeVille, Chicago as a reasonable way to drink malort. The bitter grapefruit notes of malort combine beautifully with the elderflower aromas and flavors to create what I think is one of the best St. Germain cocktails I've had, and it performed well in the 2009 Can Can Classic, a St. Germain sponsored cocktail competition.

YieldsDrink
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
Brad Bolt
Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
4.5 stars
(16 ratings)
From other users
  • Used Yellow Chartreuse and was delicious. Will need to try with Malort. — ★★★★★
  • Like a much more aggressive Corpse Reviver #2. Excellent.
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I've made this more frequently with 2 oz gin (usually City of London or Bombay) and .5 oz for the other ingredients for a drier, boozier drink that I think enhances the bitter and floral notes of the recipe.


Sin Cyn

1 oz Speyside Scotch, Macallan 12
1 oz Cynar
1 twst Orange peel (as garnish)
Instructions

Stir, strain, rocks, garnish.

YieldsDrink
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
Paul Dellevigne, Red Owl Tavern, Philadelphia, PA.
Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
3.5 stars
(9 ratings)
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The Federal Buffalo Stamp

2 oz Bourbon
3⁄4 oz Lemon juice
1⁄2 oz Maple syrup (1:1 with water)
1⁄4 oz Ginger liqueur, Domaine de Canton (or ginger syrup, more accurately to the original recipe)
1 sli Candied ginger (as garnish)
Instructions

Shake, strain, rocks, garnish.

YieldsDrink
Year
2013
Authenticity
Unknown
Creator
Has Mahmmod, Lion's Share, San Diego, CA, as reverse-engineered by FrogPrincesse.
Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
3.5 stars
(11 ratings)
From other users
  • Gingery whiskey sour. — ★★★★
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yarm commented on 3/20/2024:

Finally got around to making this one (as per the recipe flashcard I found, not the reverse-engineered version). Made me think of an American cousin to the Penicillin more so than a gingery Maple Leaf.


Thyme in a Bottle

1 oz Gin
3⁄4 oz Herbal liqueur, Farigoule
3⁄4 oz Lemon juice
1 spg Thyme (as garnish)
Instructions

Shake, strain, up, garnish.

Notes

A Last Word variation calling for the thyme-flavored liqueur Farigoule. Grier recommends warming the thyme over a candle before garnishing to release aroma.

YieldsDrink
Year
2012
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
Jacob Grier, Metrovino, Portland, OR.
Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
Not yet rated
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  • Ernst Happel — Gin, Strega, Apricot liqueur, Kirschwasser, Orange bitters, Lemon juice
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Curated to Internet Archive link of the now defunct original link.


Once More Cocktail

1 1⁄2 oz Dry vermouth
1⁄2 oz Kirschwasser
1⁄2 oz Orange liqueur
Instructions

Stir, strain, up.

Notes

The original calls for Mandarinette, a defunct mandarin orange-flavored liqueur. Substitute any good orange liqueur and perhaps add the oil of a mandarin peel or a squeeze of mandarin juice.

YieldsDrink
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
3.5 stars
(3 ratings)
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Pedro's Backpack

Instructions

Shake, strain, up.

YieldsDrink
Year
2012
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
Alex Homans, Backbar, Somerville, MA.
Source reference

via Facebook

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
3.5 stars
(5 ratings)
From other users
  • Interesting finish. Used old Tom ransom
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Good drink. This one was actually created by Alex Homans at Backbar, Sam was just kind enough to give me Alex's recipe.


Let Me Draw You

1 oz Aromatized wine, Tempus Fugit Kina L'Aero d'Or
1⁄2 oz Pear liqueur, Rothman & Winter
1⁄2 oz Bénédictine
1 ds Acid phosphate
Instructions

Stir, strain, up.

YieldsDrink
Year
2012
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
Kyle Powell, Russell House Tavern, Cambridge, MA.
Source reference

via Facebook

Curator rating
Not yet rated
Average rating
4 stars
(12 ratings)
From other users
  • Made with DIY "Weird Lime Juice" instead of acid phosphate. Turned out excellent, light, and balanced. Goes well with autumnal cooking! — ★★★★
  • Made with JWB.
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Another fine drink. Sam gave me this recipe back in November of 2012. According to him the Rothman & Winter Orchard Pear is used (I incorrectly typed "peach" when I posted this on Flickr at the time but I meant to type pear--I blame the alcohol for that mistake). Also if you're using the recipe that I posted there should be a half-ounce of Benedictine in this drink, too. Otherwise everything looks good.


Indeed I poached this one from you, Eric. Thanks for the corrections; it should all be good now. I'll be more attentive and also choose to blame it, in the fashion of you and Jamie Foxx, on the alcohol.


I am drawn to you!   Best cocktail ever! As per semper Tempis Fugit forever . I used th St george spiced pear which adds a little kick.  NICE!


yarm commented on 8/16/2021:

From the bar notes at Russell House Tavern via Sam Gabrielli (bar manager at the time), "This is Kyle’s much anticipated premier installment of a series of Titanic themed cocktails, and it was worth the wait. Smooth and complex, you would not necessarily jump to this being a Scotch cocktail, without provocation. Sweet, slightly peaty malts blend with subtle pear and herbal flavors from the two liqueurs. The Quinquina provides a bitter balance, which is enforced by the presence of bitters and the acid phosphate, resulting in a Tempting cocktail that will leave you whispering….."