Monkey Gland

Difford's Guide
Discerning Drinkers (70 ratings)

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.
Ingredients:
2 fl oz Gin
2/3 fl oz Orange juice (freshly squeezed)
1/6 fl oz Grenadine/pomegranate syrup
1/12 fl oz Sugar syrup 'rich' (2 sugar to 1 water, 65.0°Brix)
3 dash La Fée Parisienne absinthe (omit for Cocktails Made Easy)
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Read about cocktail measures and measuring.

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Review:

I've added the merest touch of sugar to the classic recipe and a dash more absinthe to make this old-school cocktail pop. However, approach with caution, unlike the experiments of Serge Voronoff, nothing about this drink is designed to enhance virility.

History:

Created in the late 1920s by Harry MacElhone at his Harry's New York Bar in Paris, France. The Monkey Gland takes its name from the work of Dr Serge Voronoff who, convinced that testosterone was vital to a long and healthy life, transplanted monkey testicles onto elderly Frenchmen.

The "Monkey's Gland Cocktail" first appears in MacElhone's 1922 Harry's ABC of Mixing Cocktails (which, sadly, I don't have access to). In his 1923 edition, he specifies the recipe as "1 dash Absinthe, 1 teaspoonful of Grenadine, ½ Orange Juice, ½ Gordon Gin. Shake well, and strain into a cocktail glass. (Invented by the Author and deriving its name from Voronoff's experiments in rejuvenation.)."

Nutrition:

One serving of Monkey Gland contains 188 calories.

Alcohol content:

  • 1.4 standard drinks
  • 21.98% alc./vol. (43.96° proof)
  • 19.4 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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David Embury's birthday image

David Embury's birthday

The author of that seminal work, The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, David Augustus Embury was born on this day in 1886 in Pine Woods, upstate New York. He

Guy Fawkes / Bonfire Night Cocktails image

Guy Fawkes / Bonfire Night Cocktails

Remember, remember the fifth of November Gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason, why gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot.

National Nacho Day image

National Nacho Day

Not a fan of nachos? Then today is nacho lucky day! Yes, today is National Nacho Day, a day dedicated to those delicious fried tortilla chips that we love

National Harvey Wallbanger Day image

National Harvey Wallbanger Day

Of all the cocktails to have its very own day, the Harvey Wallbanger is probably the most surprising. But, yes, Harvey Wallbanger Day is a thing in American.

Irish Coffee arrived in America this day image

Irish Coffee arrived in America this day

The splendidly named Stanton Delaplane, a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, may have won a Pulitzer Prize for Reporting, but his legacy remains

Happy Hour Day image

Happy Hour Day

Every hour should be happy but in most bars, this term does not reflect a collective state of joyousness but a period of comparatively cheap booze. Not

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