X.Y.Z.

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (38 ratings)

Serve in a Coupe glass

Ingredients:
1 12 oz Light white rum (charcoal-filtered 1-4 years old)
34 oz Cointreau triple sec liqueur
34 oz Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
0.08 oz Monin Pure Cane Syrup (65.0°brix, equivalent to 2:1 rich syrup)
2 drop Saline solution 4:1 (20g sea salt to 80g water)
1 dash Orange Bitters by Angostura
× 1 1 serving
Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

  1. Select and pre-chill a Coupe glass.
  2. Prepare garnish of orange zest twist.
  3. SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
  4. FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.
  5. EXPRESS orange zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 7/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 8/10

Review:

The original Savoy recipe follows classic Margarita proportions and like the 2:1:1 Margarita is a tad on the sour side. Hence, as with my Margaritas, I like to add a touch of extra sweetness, drops of saline and a dash of bitters. The result is still on the tart side but after a few sips your palate readjusts and tart becomes cleansing.

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Variant:

Outrigger

History:

Adapted from a recipe in Harry Craddock's 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book. This "rejuvenated classic" was brought to my attention by Jason E. Clapham at the St. Edward's MCR at Oxford whose preferred recipe (echoes The Savoy spec) is 45ml (1½oz) light white rum, 22.5ml (¾oz) triple sec, and 22.5ml (¾oz) lemon juice.

X. Y. Z. COCKTAIL
¼ Lemon juice.
¼ Cointreau.
½ Bacardi Rum.
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Harry Craddock, 1930

Nutrition:

One serving of X.Y.Z. contains 156 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 1.4 standard drinks
  • 21.45% alc./vol. (21.45° proof)
  • 19.9 grams of pure alcohol

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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23rd December 2022 at 02:43
I found this benefited from additional orange bitters. Three dashes instead of one made a surprising difference.