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Pancho Villa

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (24)
Pancho Villa image
Measurements in:
Serves:
1
Ingredients
1 fl oz Light white rum (charcoal-filtered 1-4 years old)
1 fl oz Hayman's London Dry Gin
1 fl oz Luxardo Apricot Albicocca Liqueur
1⁄6 fl oz Pineapple juice
1⁄6 fl oz Cherry (brandy) liqueur

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 pineapple wedge.

Method

  1. SHAKE all ingredients with two 7oz scoops of crushed ice.
  2. FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

  1. Garnish with pineapple wedge on rim.

Flavour Profile

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Health & Nutrition

Nutrition:

One serving of Pancho Villa contains 215 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 1.9 standard drinks
  • 25.42% alc./vol. (50.84° proof)
  • 27.3 grams of pure alcohol

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

History

Named for Francisco Villaruel Guilledo (1901-1925), a Filipino professional boxer known as Pancho Villa. He was only 154cm (5 feet and 1 inch) tall and weighed 51kg (114 pounds) at his heaviest, and was the first Asian to win the World Flyweight Championship in 1923. Never knocked out in his entire career, he is regarded as one of the greatest Flyweight boxers of all time. He died suddenly, aged 23, from complications following a tooth extraction.

The Pancho Villa cocktail first appears in Charles H. Baker, Jr.'s 1939 The Gentleman's Companion volume II – An Exotic Drinking Book. Our recipe is adapted from Victor Bergeron's 1947 Bartender's Guide by Trader Vic, a recipe repeated in his 1972 Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide.

PANCHO VILLA COCKTAIL, another CLASSIC from the PHILIPPINES that we absorbed in 1926, for the FIRST TIME
The late Filipino gentleman of this name was probably the greatest man for his inches that ever drew on a pair of fighting gloves. In Manila he is still a national hero, his monument is impressive, and when Monk Antrim's Chino Number One whipped this one up in his honour, it proved more than good enough for us to insert here.
Carta de Oro Bacardi, 1 pony
Dry apricot brandy, 1 pony
Pineapple juice, r tsp
Dry gin, 1 pony
Cherry brandy, 1 tsp
Stuffed olive
This is a sweet one and must be very cold. Fill shaker with fine ice and pour into a big champagne glass. It is one of the very few cocktails calling for several conflicting ingredients that is worth its own weight in bicarbonate of soda.

Charles H. Baker, Jr., The Gentleman's Companion volume II, 1939


PANCHO VILLA COCKTAIL
1 oz. Bacardi
1 oz. apricot brandy
1 oz. dry gin
1 tsp. pineapple juice
1 tsp. cherry brandy
Shake with shaved ice: serve in champagne glass.

Victor Bergeron, Bartender's Guide, 1947


PANCHO VILLA COCKTAIL
1 ounce light Puerto Rican rum
1 ounce apricot brandy
1 ounce gin
1 teaspoon pineapple juice
1 teaspoon cherry brandy
Shake with ½ scoop shaved ice. Strain into a large saucer champagne glass.

Victor Bergeron, Bartender's Guide, 1972

Review

Fruity, yet spirit-forward. Looking at the ingredients, this cocktail should be very sweet. It is rich, but it is surprising how the dilution from shaking with crushed ice tempers the sweetness. However, it remains spirituous, and to quote Victor Bergeron, "This'll tuck you away neatly - and pick you up and throw you right to the floor".

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$3.28 per cocktail*

Makes a minimum of 25 cocktails.
Shipping and applicable tax calculated at checkout.


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Gallery

Comments & Discussion

Peter M Premium Member
FWIW, Bartender's Guide by Trader Vic copyrighted in 1947 has a PANCHO VILLA COCKTAIL that looks to be basically the same as the 1972 version referenced above: https://issuu.com/iba-world/docs/bartenders_guide_by_trader_vic
score: 1
Simon Difford Verified User Premium Member
Many thanks, Peter. I've added a reference and quote for the 1947 guide.
score: 2
Chris Dimal
Additionally, the recipe may not be the most correct. The first mention of this drink is in The Gentleman's Companion (1939), with it calling for a moderately aged rum and "dry apricot brandy". Could this mean apricot eau-de-vie instead? If that is the case, this is a very different cocktail. Could merit its own page.
score: 4
Simon Difford Verified User Premium Member
Thanks, Chris. I've added Charles H. Baker's recipe above and also referenced the boxer this cocktail is named after.
score: 1
Chris Dimal
Shook with cracked ice. Very weird, medicinal taste unfortunately, with the apricot and cherry combining with predominant gin to become something like apricot cough syrup with astringency. Really strange. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the quality of the cherry liqueur (I used Marie Brizard Jolie Cherry).
score: 2
John Hinojos Premium Member
Very intriguing cocktail. With this name I thought it would use tequila, but the mixtures of all the ingredients blend to taste similar to the tequila drink.
score: 0
Angela Knox
Potent pick me up and lays you flat - does exactly what it says!
score: 0

View 5 comments and discussion

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Difford’s Shop logo
$3.28 per cocktail*

Makes a minimum of 25 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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