The Cocktails Must Flow

A classic martini cocktail using scotch is our third cocktail of the evening: the Affinity, which is a variation of the Manhattan.

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Our second cocktail is another classic dating back to (at least) the 1920s; the Gimlet, which is made of gin and Rose’s Lime Juice.

The gimlet is a cocktail made of gin and Rose's Lime Juice. A 1928 description of the drink was: gin, and a spot of lime. A description in the 1953 Raymond Chandler novel The Long Goodbye stated that "a real gimlet is half gin and half Rose's lime juice and nothing else." This is in line with the proportions suggested by The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930), which specifies one half Gin and one half Rose's Lime Juice. However, modern tastes are less sweet, and generally provide for at least two parts gin to one part of the lime and other non-alcoholic elements (see recipes below).

The derivation of the name of the cocktail is contested. It may be named after the tool for drilling small holes (alluding to its "piercing" effect on the drinker) or after the surgeon Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Gimlette (27 November 1857 – 4 October 1943), who is said to have first added lime cordial to gin to help combat the ravages of scurvy on long voyages.

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We’ve made a few versions of the Chocolate Martini, including the White Chocolate Martini and the Cherry Chocolate Martini; tonight we have a banana flavoured one.

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I love mango, so the fourth cocktail of this evening is a Mango Martini.

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The third cocktail of this evening is the Tuxedo.

This is another classic cocktail related to the martini; the Tuxedo has had many variations since its inception in the 1880s.

The cocktail is named after the Tuxedo Club in Orange County, New York where it was first mixed. Tuxedo Park, the planned community where the club was built, is itself a derivation of the Lenape word tucseto. The form of menswear by the same name originated at the same country club around the same time.

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The second cocktail this evening is a classic cocktail which was lost for many years; the Classic Bijou.

The bijou cocktail was invented back in the 1890s by Harry Johnson, “the father of professional bartending”, who called it bijou because it combined the colors of three jewels: gin for diamond, vermouth for ruby, and chartreuse for emerald.

The bijou was popular for several decades, but, unlike the Manhattan and the martini, the bijou disappeared after Prohibition. It was rediscovered by “the King of Cocktails” Dale DeGroff in the 1980s, when he stumbled upon the recipe in Johnson’s book.

A bijou is a mixed alcoholic drink composed of gin, vermouth, and chartreuse. This cocktail was invented by Harry Johnson, "the father of professional bartending", who called it bijou because it combined the colors of three jewels: gin for diamond, vermouth for ruby, and chartreuse for emerald. An original-style bijou is made stirred with ice as Johnson's 1900 New and Improved Bartender Manual states "mix well with a spoon and serve." This recipe is also one of the oldest in the manual, dating back to the 1890s.

The bijou was popular for several decades. Unlike the Manhattan and the martini, However, the bijou disappeared after Prohibition. It was rediscovered by "the King of Cocktails" Dale DeGroff in the 1980s, when he stumbled upon the recipe in Johnson's book. While the original cocktail had equal parts of the three ingredients, DeGroff tripled the ratio of gin to vermouth and chartreuse to soften the taste profile. Eventually, his recipe became the standard, but we've gone with the classic version.

Our first drink of Friday Night Cocktails on the 18^th March is the Chocolate Orange-tini. This is a dessert cocktail incororpating cholcoate and orange flavours.

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Our sixth drink of St Patrick’s Day on the 17^th March is the Tipperary. This is named after the county of Tipperary in Ireland and is another non-green cocktail.

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Our fifth drink of St Patrick’s Day on the 17^th March is the Irish Frog. This is aa tasty shooter using melon liqueur and Irish cream.

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Our fourth drink of St Patrick’s Day on the 17^th March is the Rory O’More. This cocktail is an Irish cousin to the Rob Roy and is a Manhattan variant.

Named after Rory O’More, renowned for being one of the four main organisers of the Irish Rebellion of 1641.

It is one of our non-green drinks for this St Patrick’s Day.

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