Name: Mainbrace
Total time: 4 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 30 ml Gin; 30 ml Triple sec; 30 ml Pink grapefruit juice; 2 drop Saline solution 4:1

Ingredients

1 fl oz

Hayman's London Dry Gin

1 fl oz

Cointreau L'Unique triple sec liqueur

1 fl oz

Pink grapefruit juice (freshly squeezed)

2 drop

Saline solution (20g sea salt to 80g water) or merest pinch of s

How to make

Glass

Prepare

Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.

Prepare garnish of orange zest twist.

Method

SHAKE all ingredients with ice.

FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

EXPRESS orange zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Flavour Profile

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

Health & Nutrition

Nutrition:

One serving of Mainbrace contains 148 calories

Alcohol content:

1.4 standard drinks
19.89% alc./vol. (39.78° proof)
19.2 grams of pure alcohol

History

This gin-based cocktail takes its name from a Navy term, usually associated with rum. However, while the ratings on British Navy ships drank rum, their officers sipped gin.

Braces are the ropes that control the angle of the sails on square-rigged ships, and the mainbrace is the longest rope in the rigging. If the mainbrace were shot away during a battle, then the ship would be rendered unmaneuverable. The mainbrace runs through blocks, so it cannot be repaired with a short splice or a knot. Instead, a long splice is needed, so even outside of battle, this is a difficult and skilled job. Hence, it was customary for the men who spliced the mainbrace to be rewarded with an extra ration of rum. Over time, the order to "splice the mainbrace" came to mean that the whole crew would receive an extra ration of rum, issued after victory or to celebrate a special occasion such as a royal birth.

Gallery

Comments & Discussion

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Sally Morgan Premium Member 2y

Sometimes it’s nice to have a really straighforward cocktail that is well balanced. This one ticks all those boxes. Could be thrown together in a trice (or after coming back from an ice water championships holiday) and none the worse for that.

John Hinojos Premium Member 3y

Very refreshing. We were just slightly shy of the amount of grapefruit juice needed so added a few drops of grapefruit bitters to balance the sweetness. Perfect relaxing on a late afternoon.