Friday, February 19, 2016

tuxedo

1/2 Cognac (1 1/2 oz Camus VS)
1/3 Dry Vermouth (1 oz Noilly Prat)
1 dash Apricot (1/2 oz Rothman & Winter)
1 dash Peychaud's or Absinthe (1 dash Peychaud's + 1/2 bsp Butterfly Absinthe)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. I added a lemon twist (but orange might have worked better here to bring out the apricot notes).

Two Saturdays ago, I decided to make the curiously named Tuxedo from the Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933. I say curiously for there are a pair of better known Tuxedo cocktails in the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book (and one of those appeared earlier in the 1927 Barflies and Cocktails) that are gin based. This one is brandy based though and is otherwise similar to the Tuxedo #2 with apricot brandy instead of Maraschino liqueur and orange bitters. Given the book's several decade long timeline, I cannot be sure whether the brandy or gin was the earlier, but given Pioneer's track record, I would vote that gin is either the original or at least the most standard way of that time period.
This Tuxedo offered up a lemon, Cognac, and apricot aroma. Next, hints of wine and orchard fruit on the sip gave way to brandy, apricot, and herbal-anise flavors on the swallow.

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