Princeton

Review:

Kappeler's 1895 recipe calls for the Old Tom gin and orange bitters to be stirred with ice and strained into a glass, with port poured down the side of the glass so it settles to form a red layer beneath the orange bitters tinted gin.

I've added a spoon (5ml) of sugar syrup to Kappeler's recipe to slightly sweeten the gin (omit if using a sweet old tom) and a splash of water to add some much-needed dilution. I also prefer to abandon the original layering and stir all the ingredients together.

Variant:

Princeton Martini

History:

Adapted from a recipe in Harry Craddock's influential 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book.

PRINCETON COCKTAIL.
2 Dashes Orange Bitters.
1/3 Port Wine.
2/3 Tom Gin.
Stir well and strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze lemon peel on top.

Harry Craddock, 1930

However, the Princeton predates The Savoy Cocktail Book by at least 30 years as it first appears in George J. Kappeler's 1900 Modern American Drinks.

Princeton Cocktail.
A mixing-glass half-full fine ice, three dashes orange bitters, one and a half pony Tom gin. Mix, strain into cocktail-glass; add half a pony port wine carefully and let it settle in bottom of cocktail before serving."

George J. Kappeler, 1900

In his 1948 The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks David Embury also includes the "Princeton" with "1 part Port, 3 parts Gin, 2 dashes Orange Bitters to each drink" along with the following notation:

Authorities differ as to the proper mixing of this drink. Under one version, all the ingredients are stirred together; under another version the gin and bitters are shaken with crushed ice, poured into a cocktail glass, and the port is then poured into the glass and allowed to settle through the gin and bitters. A twist of lemon over the top.

David Embury, 1948

Nutrition:

One serving of Princeton contains 166 calories