Xantès Cocktail

1 1⁄2 oz Raspberry liqueur (e.g. Chambord)
3⁄4 oz Gin
1⁄3 oz Triple sec, Cointreau Noir
1⁄3 oz Sweet vermouth, Cinzano Rosso
Instructions

Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake, strain and serve. (Stirring makes more sense absent citrus juice, but the original recipe calls for a shaker.)

Notes

I have assumed ~3 oz spirits volume for this. I am somewhat guessing on the quantities/ratios of the Cointreau Noir ( a modern recreation of Édouard Cointreau's original Majestic recipe) and Cinzano Rosso since the recipe says: Demi-verre de liqueur Framboise, un quart de verre de gin Bols, deux traits de Majestic dans un shaker, avec de la glace et finir au Cinzano." As with Savoy and other old cocktail books, several mixed systems for volume appear to be employed in the same work: "Traits" seems to translate to "parts" in some recipes, "dashes" in others, and volumes more at "teaspoons" in other recipes.

This recipe is quite sweet although pleasant. I have made a modernized version of this I am calling the "Improved Xantès" that balances flavors better, provides some acidity, and increases base spirit to a sensible ratio: 1.5 oz gin, 1 oz Chambord, 1/4 oz Cointreau Noir, 1/4 oz Cinzano Rosso, 1/4 oz lemon juice.

History

This drink is found in the 1929 "L'Heure du Cocktail". The books recipes are diverse, with many sweet flavor bombs that don't make good drinks; but it also contains various period regional components absent from other cocktail books. Majestic is one such component, a blend of Cointreau and cognac that has been revived in the form of Cointreau Noir.

Yields Drink
Year
1929
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
Unknown
Source reference

1929 "L'Heure du Cocktail" by J. Alimbau and E. Milhorat

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Murasaki commented on 7/11/2025:

Tried it with the original proportions, but with homemade raspberry liqueur, Plymouth navy strength, combier triple sec (since I don’t have Cointreau noir), and punt e mes. Unfortunately the punt e mes overpowers it a bit. It opens up with a generous splash of soda.

Christmas in France

1 oz Gin, St. George Botanivore
1 oz Salers Gentiane
1⁄2 oz Genepy
1⁄2 oz Suze
6 ds Bitters (Vera's Maine Pine Bitters)
Instructions

Stir, strain, twist a lemon peel over the top if you desire, add a pine branch from the Christmas tree if you've got one. Cheers!

Picture of Christmas in France
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  • Very yummy herbal piney negroni variant
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Wings of Redemption

1 spg Rosemary
1 1⁄2 oz Bourbon
1 oz Aperol
1⁄2 oz Lemon juice
1⁄4 oz Rye
1⁄4 oz Grenadine
2 ds Bitters, Fee Brothers Grapefruit
Instructions

Smoke a rosemary sprig in a glass. Add ingredients, shake, and strain into smoked glass.

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  • Plastic Kite — Bourbon, Ramazzotti, Campari, Lemon juice, Simple syrup
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A Gentleman in Old Mexico

1 oz Old Tom Gin, Ransom
1 oz Mezcal
1⁄2 oz Averna
1⁄2 oz Cynar
1⁄4 oz Bénédictine
1⁄4 oz Campari
2 ds Bitters, Angostura Orange
2 ds Bitters, Bittermens Xocolatl Mole
Instructions

Stir with ice then strain and serve up with a flamed orange peel

Yields Drink
Year
2022
Authenticity
Your original creation
Creator
Colton Richardson ,Strongsville Ohio
Stolen Glass Saloon
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2 stars
(1 rating)
From other users
  • Kind of a mess to be honest (although benedictine was a very interesting secondary flavor fwiw)
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Circles and Seasons

1 1⁄2 oz Gin
1 oz Grapefruit juice
1⁄2 oz Maple syrup
2 ds Bitters, Angostura
1 twst Grapefruit peel (As garnish)
Instructions

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.

History

In creating drinks for an article on maple syrup, I wanted to do another Sour of sorts. I ended up naming it Circles and Seasons after the 1979 album by Pete Seeger that contains the song "Maple Syrup Time" which pretty accurately describes the process in folk song stylings down to warnings about not overcooking the syrup and burning it. I utilized the gin-maple aspect from from David Embury's Old Vermont (which was a gin and bitters version of the Applejack Rabbit) and the maple-grapefruit duo from the Don the Beachcomber Tiki classic, the Volcano Bowl. Combined, the complementary flavors sing splendidly together just like the medley in Seeger’s other recording of "Maple Syrup Time" on his album Seeds. I also kept the 3:2:1 formulation of how I mixed up the gin-grapefruit Seventh Heaven at Drink.

Yields Drink
Year
2022
Authenticity
Your original creation
Creator
Frederic Yarm, Somerville, MA
Source reference

https://cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com/2022/12/circles-and-seasons.html

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3.5 stars
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(the) Reindeer

1 oz Gin, Bombay Sapphire
1 oz Damiana Liqueur
1 oz Amaro Lucano
3⁄4 oz Blue Curaçao
3 ds Grapefruit bitters
1 spl Tonic water
Instructions

Shake the first 5 ingredients with ice and strain into a frozen coupe glass.
Then splash in a small amount of tonic water.

History

My first experiment with Damiana.

Yields Drink
Year
2022
Authenticity
Your original creation
Creator
Carl N.
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3 stars
(1 rating)
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dramari commented on 10/22/2023:

I used 3 droppers of my house bitters (citrus, cinnamon, clove) and it was a little overpowering. Next time would start with 1. Mainly made this to use up a bottle of Damiana (usually used in margaritas).

Natale Bianco

1 oz Gin, St. George Botanivore
1 oz Salers Gentiane
1 oz Bianco Vermouth (I used Dolin)
6 ds Bitters (Vera's Maine Pine Bitters)
1 twst Lemon peel
Instructions

Stir, Strain, rocks glass. The more bitters the better. Twist a lemon over the top if it suits you (it always suits me)

Notes

Looking for a use for my Maine Pine Bitters and a White Negroni Variant just made sense.

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4 stars
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From other users
  • Closer to 4.5 but didn't wanna overrate my own drink. Would be interested to find in alternative to the Bianco vermouth to make things even more piney
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CeeBee commented on 2/07/2023:

Zirbenz Stone Pine Liqueur? 1/4 oz? And thanks - been looking for a way to use up my Vena’s Pine bitters. :)

Zester Cocktail

1 oz Gin
1 oz Sweet vermouth, Cinzano Rosso
3⁄4 oz Bonal Gentiane Quina
1 Lemon peel
Instructions

Add all ingredients (including the lemon peel) to shaker. Add ice and shake. Double strain into a cocktail glass or over ice in a rocks glass (your choice.)

Notes

Remember to put the peel in the shaker, which is perhaps the source of the cocktail name.

This recipe is offered as an attempt to resurrect an historical cocktail that included a now extinct ingredient, Secrestat Bitters. Bonal's color and gentian/quinine character appear closest to the original.

History

This cocktail first appeared in the 1928 work "Recettes de Cocktails pour 1929" by the same authors, but used Campari rather than Secrestat Bitters--making it one of the earlier Negroni recipes (4:4:3 ratios). The change in the subsequent work to Secrestat Bitters (an aperitif probably similar to Bonal) is not explained.

The name likely comes from the addition of the lemon zest to the shaker--specifically stated in both books' recipes.

Cinzano was specified as the vermouth in both recipes.

Yields Drink
Year
1929
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
Unknown, Paris
Source reference

"1929 L'Heure du Cocktail" and "Recettes de Cocktails pour 1929" by J. Alimbau & E. Milhorat

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Halls of Power

1 1⁄2 oz Rye, Wild Turkey 101
1⁄2 oz Cynar
2 t Sweet vermouth, Carpano Antica Formula
2 t Bénédictine
2 t Scotch, Glenmorangie
Instructions

Stir with ice and pour into a chilled coupe.

Picture of Halls of Power
Yields Drink
Year
2022
Authenticity
Your original creation
Creator
Cocktails.at.3
Las Vegas, Nevada
Curator rating
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Average rating
4 stars
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The Noble Beast

1 oz Bitters, Angostura
1 oz Espresso (or cold brew concentrate)
1⁄2 oz Rich demerara syrup 2:1
1 Whole egg
1 Coffee bean (grated, as garnish)
Instructions

Dry shake for 10 seconds, wet shake for 10-15 seconds. Double strain, serve up in glass of your choice, claret glass recommended. Grate the coffee bean over top as garnish.

Notes

Espresso is preferred by the creator. Cold brew concentrate is given as an alternative if espresso is not an option.

Yields Drink
Authenticity
Authentic recipe
Creator
Anders Erickson, Chicago, IL
Source reference

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzmVLMzQjNo

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4 stars
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From other users
  • This is better with an ounce of rye whiskey, as in https://old.reddit.com/r/cocktails/comments/184k0sf/the_forbidden_one/
  • Could do with a little more booze
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