Long-Range Cocktail

June 3, 2013 (Day 25) – Long-Range Cocktail

This recipe is taken from the 1895 book Modern American Drinks by George J. Kappeler. Annotations are our own for clarification between classic and modern terms.

• 2 dashes gum syrup
• 2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
• 1 pony (1 oz) Italian (sweet) vermouth
• 1/2 pony (0.5 oz) Absinthe
• 1/2 pony (0.5 oz) brandy

Pour all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with finely shaved ice. Shake well and then strain into a cocktail glass. Serve with a lemon peel twist garnish over the top.

Like many other drinks that feature absinthe proportions at this level, it informs the entirety of the drink. However, the bitters, brandy and vermouth add a pleasant, earthier backbone to temper the strong herbal and wormwood of the absinthe.