No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Merry Widow(er)
Measurements in:
Serves:
| 1 1⁄2 fl oz | Hayman's London Dry Gin |
| 1 1⁄2 fl oz | Strucchi Dry Vermouth |
| 1⁄6 fl oz | Bénédictine D.O.M. liqueur |
| 2 dash | La Fée Parisienne absinthe |
| 1 dash | Peychaud's or other Creole-style bitters |
How to make
Glass
Photographed in an Urban Bar 1910 Retro Coupette 15cl
Prepare
- Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
- Prepare garnish of lemon zest twist.
Method
- STIR all ingredients with ice.
- FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.
Garnish
- EXPRESS lemon zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.
Flavour Profile
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Health & Nutrition
Nutrition:
One serving of Merry Widow(er) contains 170 calories
Alcohol content:
- 1.6 standard drinks
- 23.96% alc./vol. (47.91° proof)
- 23 grams of pure alcohol
History
The Merry Widow first appears in Hugo R. Ensslin's 1917 Recipes for Mixed Drinks (2nd Edition). (It may have also appeared in his 1916 first edition.) The cocktail also appears in Harry Craddock's 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book and Albert Stevens Crockett's 1935 The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book.
This cocktail takes its name from The Merry Widow Broadway production which opened on 21st October 1907 at the New Amsterdam Theatre. The operetta was premiered in Vienna in 1905, and played all around the world, leading to a ballet version and at least five film versions.
MERRY WIDOW COCKTAIL
Hugo R. Ensslin, Recipes for Mixed Drinks, 1917
½ Dry Gin
½ French Vermouth
2 dashes Benedictine
1 dash Peychaud Bitters
2 dashes Absinthe
Stir well in a mixing glass with cracked ice, strain and serve with a twist of lemon peel on top.
MERRY WIDOW COCKTAIL.
Harry Craddock, The Savoy Cocktail Book, 1930
2 Dashes Absinthe.
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters.
2 Dashes Bénédictine.
½ French Vermouth.
½ Dry Gin.
Stir well and strain into cocktail glass. Twist lemon peel on top.
MERRY WIDOW*
Albert Stevens Crockett, The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book, 1935
One-half François Vermouth
One-half Dubonnet
Review
A Fifty-Fifty Martini with delicate herbal and aniseed notes.
Variations/similar cocktails
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Chrysanthemum
Ford Cocktail
Minnie the Moocher
Poet's Dream
Poet's Martini
Queen Elizabeth
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Rolls Royce
Tip Top
Vancouver
Wicked Widower
$2.37 per cocktail*
Makes a minimum of 16.5 cocktails.
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* 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.
Gallery
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Comments & Discussion
Just giving a shout out to Hugo Ensslin (1917) where Craddock got a lot of his recipes. Ensslin's is identical apart from the Angostura. He used Peychaud;s - suits it really well with spicy fruit.
Merry Widow Cocktail Hugo Ensslin 1917
1/2 Sry Gin
1/2 French Vermouth
2 dashes Benedictine
1 dash Peychaud Bitters
2 dashes Absinthe
View 4 comments and discussion