After finishing dinner on Saturday, we were still feeling a bit thirsty. But a whole other bottle of wine seemed like not the greatest idea. We didn’t need to drink a whole other bottle, but sometimes we have a problem leaving half.
So I said, “I know! Dessert Beer!” I had just picked up a new Belgian Beer from Plump Jack Wines in Noe Valley and it seemed like it would be a sweet, dessert-esque option.
OK, I’ll admit, it was mostly the cute bee girl that got my attention. And I almost put it back when I discovered it had honey in it.
But it turned out to be pretty tasty!
Not really, however, a “dessert beer”. More of a nice, slightly honey flavored ale.
Fairbanks Cocktail (No. 2)
2 Dashes Crème de Noyau. (1/2 tsp. Luxardo Amaretto)
2 Dashes Orange Bitters. (Dash Fee’s, Dash Regan’s Orange)
1/3 French Vermouth. (3/4 oz Dolin Vermouth)
2/3 Dry Gin. (1 1/2 oz Beefeater’s Gin)
Shake (stir, please) well and strain into cocktail glass. (Add a cherry, if desired.)
Note – We often wondered what Doug did it on now that we know we are going to try to do it ourselves.
In his 1922 book, “Cocktails: How to Mix Them,” Robert Vermeire calls this the “Fairbank Cocktail” and uses equal parts (“¼ Gill”) of French Vermouth and Gin. I’ll assume that the Savoy author is referring to Douglas Fairbanks. However, since evidence indicates Fairbanks was rather well known as a teetotaler*, I will note that Vermeire also gives the following information, “This drink is called after Senator Fairbank, a personal friend of the late President Roosevelt, of America.” That would be Teddy, not Franklin, as this was written in 1922.
I have still failed to come across a decent Noyau, and refuse to buy the Hiram Walker, so substitute Amaretto here. Unfortunately, the Luxardo Amaretto is a nominally worse than average substitution, as they use actual almonds to flavor it, instead of the usual Apricot pits. C’est la vie.
As made, it is a subtle and tasty update of the standard Martini formula. Quite nice, with the hint of almond and bare touch of sweetness.
*From an article at the Douglas Fairbanks Museum, “…all the more surprising since Fairbanks himself was a lifelong teetotaler who didn’t even drink alcohol.” From another article about Mary Pickford, “Douglas, an athletic, colossal star…A fanatical, snobbish teetotaler…disapproved of Mary’s drinking…”
This post is one in a series documenting my ongoing effort to make all of the cocktails in the Savoy Cocktail Book, starting at the first, Abbey, and ending at the last, Zed.
