Royal Cocktail (No. 1).
The Juice of 1/2 Lemon.
1/2 Tablespoonful Powdered Sugar. (Generous Bar Spoon Caster Sugar)
1 Egg.
1 Glass Dry Gin. (2 oz Aviation Gin)
Shake well and strain into medium size glass.
Haven’t had Aviation Gin in the house for a while, but the generous folks at House Spirits in Portland, Oregon were kind enough to send this bottle along.
I don’t like it for everything, but it was tasty enough in this simple Gin Sour with an egg.
Like a lot of modern (or New Western) style gins, they include some non-traditional botanicals in their flavorings. In Aviation’s case, the big departure is Lavender. Nice, but it just doesn’t work in some drinks. Actually, IMHO, its namesake the Aviation, is one of those drinks where it really doesn’t work all that well. But that is neither here nor there.
I enjoyed it in this drink, the Royal Cocktail (No. 1), and also think it makes a fine ATTY. Other than that, you’re on your own. Let me know what you find out.
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.
Prairie Hen Cocktail.
2 Dashes Vinegar.
1 Teaspoonful Worcestershire Sauce.
1 Egg.
2 Dashes Tabasco Sauce.
A little Pepper and Salt.
Do not break the Egg.
Yuppers, that’s a whole egg with some stuff dashed on.
In the spirit of making the most authentic Savoy Prairie Hen possible, I traveled out to the Roxy Grocery Store in the sunset where they sell Irish and British goods. Picked up some UK malt vinegar, some UK Worcestershire, and some Chef Brand Ketchup.
Having armored myself with these bastions of quality, I cracked the egg into the glass, dashed on the ingredients, and sucked it down.
I really do recommend chasing it with a shot of whiskey. Or maybe tequila. Disinfectant properties and all.
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.
The Los Angeles Cocktail
(4 People)
The Juice of 1 Lemon. (Juice a generous quarter of a Lemon)
4 Hookers Whisky. (2 oz Eagle Rare Bourbon)
4 Teaspoonsful Sugar. (1 teaspoon sugar)
1 Egg. (About a quarter of a whisked large egg)
1 Dash Italian Vermouth. (a splash of Carpano Antica)
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. (Drops of Angostura to garnish.)
I will note that this recipe is nearly verbatim from Judge Jr.’s “Here’s How” except that Judge Jr. calls for “Scotch” instead of just “Whisky”. He also adds the comment, “After trying this you will understand why they talk about the climate out there.” Whatever that means.
I wasn’t feeling much like Scotch and the bottle of Eagle Rare Bourbon was handy.
I also took the liberty of borrowing the Angostura drop garnish from the Pisco Punch, which adds a nice spicy scent to the cocktail. And, well, plus bitters, so you can actually call it a cocktail!
I really enjoyed this cocktail. It’s too bad so many people are skittish about whole eggs in cocktails, as this cocktail is a great pick me up. As Harry McElhone sez about the Swissess in “Barflies and Cocktails”, “This is a very good bracer for that feeling of the morning after the night before.”
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.
New toy:
I was reading somewhere that athletes and folks who drink vitamin supplements have something they call “blender balls” they put in their drinks so they can keep the particles in suspension as they are exercising. Someone mentioned using them in a cocktail shaker. A visit to a local vitamin and supplement emporium yielded results.
Grand Royal Clover Club Cocktail
The Juice of 1/2 Lemon. (about 3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice)
1 Tablespoonful Grenadine. (1 Tablespoon homemade Grenadine)
1 Egg. (1 egg white)
1 glass Dry Gin. (2 oz Tanqueray)
(Dry shake drink ingredients with blender ball or spring for 10 seconds or so. Remove your implement of choice. Add big ice and…) Shake well and strain into medium size glass.
Hard to say if this if the blender ball results in an improvement. Good texture and pretty decent head, for a home bartender.
But, damn it, as I was writing this up, I noticed this recipe calls for a whole egg, not an egg white! It’s just so weird, as I have looked at this recipe for over a week, thinking it was odd that it was no different from the other Clover Club recipes in the book. I thought there should be something different about it, being “Grand Royal” and all.
Fortunately, I was meeting a friend at Alembic for drinks. The always wonderful Alembic bartenders were willing to make a random Savoy recipe on a non-Savoy night. Actually, they seemed a bit excited to get to make a whole egg cocktail.
Anyway, yep, that’s tasty. The yolk gives it a delicious extra richness and texture.
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.
Golden Slipper Cocktail
1/2 Liqueur Glass Yellow Chartreuse. (1 oz Yellow Chartreuse)
The Yolk of 1 Fresh Egg.
1/2 Liqueur Glass Eau de Vie de Danzig. (1 oz Danzig Goldwasser)
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.
I guess an interesting point, if yer a cocktail geek, about the Golden Slipper, is that Robert Vermeire places it in with his Pousse Cafe drinks. But, but by the 1930s, both Craddock and Duffy are saying it is a shaken drink.
Being an old-school kind of guy, I figured pousse cafe. Plus, if you’re shaking the thing, it sort of negates the point of using the gold wasser.
Golden Slipper Cocktail, Old School
1/2 Liqueur Glass Yellow Chartreuse. (1 oz Yellow Chartreuse)
The Yolk of 1 Fresh Egg.
1/2 Liqueur Glass Eau de Vie de Danzig. (1 oz Danzig Goldwasser)
Pour Yellow Chartreuse into a sherry glass. Gently drop in whole egg yolk. Pouring over the back of a spoon, slowly add Danzig Goldwasser, so the two liquids do not mix.
It doesn’t seem like there is a huge visual difference between yellow Chartreuse and Danzig Goldwasser, but the flavors are fairly distinct. The Gold Wasser is not as sweet with more of a gin-like edge than the chartreuse.
On the “golden slipper” front, “The Golden Slipper” appears to be a folk tale of Asian origin. The best, and spookiest, google I found, was this vietnamese version:
A Cinderella Tale from Vietnam
Wow, it’s got ghosts, skeletons, murder, cruelty, etc. Anyway, yeah, that’s Cinderella, all right. Amazing the whitewashed stuff we Anglos get stuck with.
Also, “Golden Slipper” was the name of a charity formed by a group of Jewish Masons in 1922.
Perhaps they enjoyed the odd cocktail?
Update regarding Goldwasser, I received a question, “but is the dantzig sweet? i thought it was just russian eau de vie that had gold flake in it…”
Everything I’ve read suggests that Eau-de-Vie de Danzig and Goldwasser are synonymous. The one I used, “Der Lachs Original Danziger Goldwasser,” is an 80 proof herbal/spice liqueur. It didn’t seem quite as sweet as Yellow Chartreuse, but I didn’t try them side by side, just together in the drink.
Nice article here:
Gdansk Goldwasser: Alchemic Elixir
Goldwasser liqueur (literally ‘gold water’ in German), has been a popular Gdansk tradition since 1598. And though other brands and distilleries have tried to copy it, Goldwasser continues to be inextricably linked to Gdansk. A strong (40%) root and herbal liqueur, Goldwasser’s famous feature is the small flecks of 22 karat gold flake that float in the beverage. Though the posh prestige of the alcohol has historically made it a favorite drink of such darlings as Russia’s Catherine the Great, the rather diminutive gold flakes suspended in Goldwasser fail to make its price inordinate or its health effects negligible.
Hope that helps!
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.
Eye-Opener Cocktail
The Yolk of 1 Fresh Egg.
1 Teaspoonful Powdered Sugar. (scant teaspoon Caster Sugar)
2 Dashes Absinthe. (1/2 tsp Verte de Fougerolles)
2 Dashes Curacao. (1/2 tsp Brizard Orange Curacao)
2 Dashes Crème de Noyau. (1/2 tsp Amaretto di Saschira)
1 Liqueur Glass Rum. (1 1/2 oz Inner Circle Green Rum)
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.
Sadly, my schemes to acquire Noyau de Poissy or Noyau de Vernon have so far come to naught, so I have substituted Luxardo’s Amaretto.
Unlikely though it seems, this is a very nice cocktail, and will certainly open your eyes, should they previously have been closed.
Both this and the preceding “Everything But” would make tremendous brunch cocktails. If we find enough of these, maybe we can finally put those old saws, the mimosa and screwdriver, back to bed where they belong.
By the way, If you’re like me, you’ll make this cocktail, taste it, and think of that open bottle of champagne in your fridge. Go for it. It’s even tastier that way.
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.
“Everything But” Cocktail
1/4 Whisky. (3/4 oz Compass Box blended Asyla Scotch Whisky)
1/4 Gin. (3/4 oz Plymouth Gin)
1/4 Lemon Juice. (3/4 oz Lemon Juice)
1/4 Orange Juice. (3/4 oz Fresh Orange Juice)
1 Egg.
1 Teaspoonful of Apricot brandy. (1 teaspoon Rothman & Winter Marillen Apricot Eau-de-Vie)
Powdered Sugar. (scant teaspoon caster sugar)
(Combine ingredients in shaker without ice and shake for 10 seconds. Add big ice…) Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.
Bunch of new technology here. First off, I finally scored a few 18oz cheater tins to top my 28 oz boston shakers. These are spiffy and seem nominally less messy when making egg drinks. Second we have the big sturdy tovolo ice cubes being employed instead of regular refrigerator ice. Third, I’m continuing my experiments with dry shaking. Fourth, given the size of this cocktail, I got to get out my bigger coupes.
Now, if the lovely texture of the egg in the first picture wasn’t enough, this second one with a clear half inch of delicious foam should indicate progress is being made.
Regarding ingredients, many of the cocktails calling for simply “Whisky” in the “Savoy Cocktail Book” are from Judge Jr.’s 1927 “Here’s How”. In that book Scotch is specified. I went with the Apricot Eau-de-Vie instead of liqueur, as there was already plenty of sugar here, and I like Eau-de-Vies in egg cocktails.
I kind of thought I was getting tired of sour cocktails, but this one is quite tasty and fairly complex. “Velvety,” would be a good word for it. I really enjoyed it.
Regarding the name, Judge Jr. sez, “This little drink is christened thusly because it contains everything but the kitchen stove!”
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.
Cupid Cocktail
1 Glass Sherry. (2 oz Lustau Don Nuno Dry Oloroso)
1 Fresh Egg.
Teaspoonful Powdered Sugar. (1 tsp. caster sugar)
A little Cayenne Pepper.
Shake well and strain into medium size glass.
Sherry Flip, essentially. The cayenne pepper give it an interesting little kick.
Not overly complex or anything; but enjoyable all the same.
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.
Chocolate Cocktail (No. 1)
1 Teaspoonful of Powdered Chocolate (heaping teaspoon of Scharffen Berger cocoa powder)
1 Egg
1 Liqueur Glass Maraschino (1 oz Luxardo Maraschino)
1 Liqueur Glass Yellow Chartreuse (1 oz Yellow Chartreuse)
(dash Pierre Ferrand Cognac)
Shake well and strain into large glass.
Now, I’m not sure if “Chocolate Powder” means something other than cocoa powder; but, if you’re going to use Cocoa Powder, it’s going to be a bit more complicated than the above instructions, unless you want a lumpy mess.
Extra equipment: 2 small bowls, rubber spatula, and a whisk or fork.
(Method: Dump a generous teaspoon of unsweetened Cocoa Power into one of your bowls. Add a teaspoon of water and mix until it starts to form a paste. Add a little more water at a time and continue mixing until it reaches the consistency of melted chocolate. Whisk up your egg in the other bowl and pour it into chocolate. Whisk together. Measure the liqueurs into your mixing tin or glass. Pour in the egg and chocolate mixture. Add ice and shake well. Strain into cocktail glass.)
Like the Cafe Kirsch Cocktail, I had no real hope that I would enjoy this. And like the Cafe Kirsch, I found it a really tasty cocktail. The Yellow Chartreuse and Maraschino combine in really interesting ways with the cocoa. Mrs. Underhill even enjoyed it.
The two ounces of liqueur might seemed like a lot. However, using unsweetened cocoa powder, that’s about what you’re going to need to balance the bitterness of the chocolate. It seemed on par or less sweet than most hot cocoa or cold chocolate drinks.
If you have a choc-a-holic friend, this might be a nice change for them from the usual “chocotini”.
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.
Café Kirsch Cocktail
The White of 1 Egg
1 Liqueur Glass Kirsch (1 oz Trimbach Kirsch)
1/2 Tablespoon of Sugar (1 teaspoon Caster Sugar)
1 Small Glass of Cold Coffee (1 oz Peet’s Kenyan AA, Melitta Drip)
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.
Weird. I expected to like the last cocktail and expected to dislike this one.
Wrong on both accounts.
This is tasty and pretty! I’ll take this over a Red Bull and Vodka any day.
Of course I’m going to regret drinking it, when I can’t sleep tonight at midnight.
Couple Additional Notes:
If you don’t have decent strong drip coffee for it, use espresso.
In the US a number of the larger liqueur companies market something they call Kirschwasser. If you look at the ingredients on the back, you will discover that it is typically artificially flavored and sweetened neutral spirits. I’ve tried a couple (they’re cheap) and they are truly vile. Think, cherry cough drops dissolved in kerosene.
Kirsch or Cherry Eau de Vie is almost always sold in 375ml bottles and is relatively expensive. It is distilled from a “wine” made from fermented cherry juice and is (usually) an unaged clear spirit. In the US, Clear Creek, St. George Spirits, Peak Spirits, and others make acceptable versions.
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.
