This cocktail is a well-regarded classic. It’s basically a riff on a perfect Martini (when dealing with cocktails, “perfect” means equal parts sweet and dry vermouth) with a little zing from a squeeze of lemon, and some curacao to add sweetness and orange aroma. It’s an excellent drink, and a classic, first appearing, like so many others, in the Savoy Cocktail Book.
This is a good “step up” drink if you’ve mostly stuck with things that are very sweet in the past, or if you’re interested in getting away from basics like the Screwdriver (vodka and orange juice) or Rum-and-Cokes. It’s not nearly as bracing as a dry Martini, thanks to the curacao and sweet vermouth, but it’s still got plenty of backbone to it.
Most of the time, I advocate shaking cocktails with juice in them, rather than stirring, but I like this one better stirred.
This article is a modified and enhanced version of a post that ran on my nightly cocktail blog, DrinkShouts. Liquors in parentheses are what I used when I made this recipe, and are included as suggestions.
The Journalist Cocktail Recipe
Equipment
- Bar spoon
- Cocktail Strainer
Ingredients
- 2 oz. Gin Beefeater 24
- .5 oz. Sweet vermouth Noilly Prat
- .5 oz. Dry vermouth Martini
- 1 tsp. Fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp. Curacao Patron Citronge
- Dash aromatic bitters Angostura
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a pint glass over ice and stir thoroughly. Strain into a chilled cocktail coupe. No garnish.