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Journalist

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (103)
Journalist image
Measurements in:
Serves:
1
Ingredients
1 1/2 fl oz Hayman's London Dry Gin
1/2 fl oz Strucchi Dry Vermouth
1/2 fl oz Strucchi Rosso Vermouth
1/4 fl oz Ferrand Dry Curaçao liqueur
1/4 fl oz Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
1/8 fl oz Sugar syrup 'rich' (2 sugar to 1 water) 65.0°Brix (optional)
1 dash Angostura Aromatic Bitters
3 drop Saline solution (20g sea salt to 80g water) or merest pinch of s

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

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How to make

Glassware

Serve in a Coupe glass

Prepare

  1. Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
  2. Prepare garnish of Luxardo Maraschino Cherry.

Method

  1. SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
  2. FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

  1. Garnish with maraschino cherry.

Flavour Profile

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 7/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 8/10
More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Health & Nutrition

Nutrition:

One serving of Journalist contains 177 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 1.5 standard drinks
  • 20.92% alc./vol. (41.83° proof)
  • 21.1 grams of pure alcohol

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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History

Adapted from the following recipe in Harry Craddock's 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book.

JOURNALIST COCKTAIL.
2 dashes Lemon Juice.
2 dashes Curaçao.
1 dash Angostura Bitters.
1/6 French Vermouth.
1/6 Italian Vermouth.
2/3 Gordon's Dry Gin.
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Harry Craddock, 1930

Review

Like some journalists I've met, this cocktail is classically bitter and sour. Hence, I balanced with an optional splash of sugar syrup, which I've increased from 25ml to 3.75ml. (Before selling on this recipe, I've also tried introducing bianco vermouth with three equal parts (10ml each) vermouths, and various proportions of old tom gin and dry gin.)

AKA: Periodista (Journalist in Spanish)

Cocktail of the day:

3rd May 2026 is World Press Freedom Day

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Makes a minimum of 16.5 cocktails.
Shipping and applicable tax calculated at checkout.


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Comments & Discussion

Tuber Magnatum Premium Member
It has been a year since last drinking this cocktail at which time I upped the gin to 2 oz as per Difford's 15th edition recipe. This year I went back to the above recipe and having tried this twice with 1.5oz of gin, I can report that for me 2 oz is the way to go.
score: 1
John Hinojos Premium Member
Had this again for UNESCO's World Press Freedom Day. Wanted to make it a bit drier so omitted the sugar syrup and cut the vermouth by a quarter.
score: 0
Caspian Berggren Premium Member
I'm honestly really surprised by how dry this drink was. I think the sugar is certainly needed for this one. It almost drinks like a martini. It's very nice though.
score: 0
trendomexico Premium Member
Amazing: stop the press. It was perfect, equilibrated, rounded. The front is sweet but the back is very mature. By doctor's prescription I have to be extra cautious with my glucose ingest. BUT I use Allulose in all my cocktails: no glucemic leves, perfect taste and body.
score: 1
Chris Brislawn
Made this to spec, incl. the sugar syrup and saline drops, just to see what would happen. No Strucchi vermouth but Cocchi seemed phonetically close to Strucchi so made do with that (Storico and Extra Dry). I'm with S. Sedgley, unsure why this seems as bitter and sour as it does and not as sweet as it should based on the ingredients. I speculate that the more herbal/spicy/complex a drink becomes the less our taste buds are able to pigeon-hole it into a single classification of bitter/sour/sweet. Maybe the saline helps with this, too; I haven't seen an explanation for the role of saline in cocktails. At any rate, a successful and novel adaptation of an old recipe to modern tastes.
score: 3
Simon Sedgley Premium Member
It's a bit of a mystery to us as to why this is as bitter and sour as it is. 'Cocktails' we suppose.
score: 3
Doug Bain Premium Member
Sam was right again: this sour and bitter journalist benefit from just a touch of sweetness (tried it with and without).
score: 2
Peter M Premium Member
I really liked this. Not your typical gin-based cocktail. I could taste the gin, herbs and spices, & subtle orange. Very aromatic when bringing the glass to your mouth.
score: 1
Tuber Magnatum Premium Member
Follow up: Drank this exactly one year ago on World Press Freedom Day and comment then was whether 2oz of gin as per Difford's 15th edition might be better. Notwithstanding the increased EtOH / standard drink amount, the 2oz gin for me gave a more balanced drink. I will revisit this next year and "report" again!
score: 4
James Brooke Premium Member
The Journalist cocktail also appears in my copy of the Mr Boston Deluxe Official Bartenders Guide. Sixty-first edition. New and Revised.
It gives the recipe as:
1.5 teaspoons dry vermouth
1.5 teaspoons sweet vermouth
1.5 oz Old Mr Boston Dry Gin
0.5 teaspoon lemon juice
0.5 teaspoon Old Mr Boston Triple Sec
1 dash Bitters
Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
In my opinion, the slight change in ratios makes this a more balanced and less bitter drink.
score: 2
ellen lipton
This is also the proportions in the 60th edition; but the 20th goes with 1/4-1/4 sweet/dry; 1 1/2 gin; 1/2 tsp lemon-curaçao; 1 dash bitters. Wonder when between 1961 and 1979 the change happened?
score: 2
James Brooke Premium Member
That is very interesting. Now all we need is others who have editions between the 20th and the 60th to tell us what their edition says and thereby work out when it evolved to, in my opinion, the more balanced version.
score: 1

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Difford’s Shop logo
$4.51 per cocktail*

Makes a minimum of 16.5 cocktails.
Shipping and applicable tax calculated at checkout.


Orders are processed by a licensed Fulproof retailer. The buy now button is added simply for convenience.

Checkout

* May not include all ingredients. Price per cocktail is an estimate based on cost of one cocktail with ingredients shown above and does not include shipping.

Visit Difford’s Shop USA

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