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Embassy

Name: Embassy
Total time: 4 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 22.5 ml Cognac (brandy); 22.5 ml Aged Jamaican rum; 22.5 ml Triple sec; 15 ml Lime juice; 10 ml Chilled water; 2 drop Saline solution 4:1

Difford’s Guide

Discerning Drinkers (48)

Measurements in:

Serves:

Keep screen awake

Ingredients
3/4 fl oz	Cognac (brandy)
3/4 fl oz	Jamaican-style aged blended rum with funk
3/4 fl oz	Cointreau L'Unique triple sec liqueur
1/2 fl oz	Lime juice (freshly squeezed)
1/3 fl oz	Chilled water/mineral water (omit if using wet ice)
2 drop	Saline solution (20g sea salt to 80g water) or merest pinch of s

How to make

Glassware

Serve in a Coupe 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 Embassy contains 149 calories

Alcohol content:

1.5 standard drinks
21.45% alc./vol. (42.9° proof)
21.3 grams of pure alcohol

History

Adapted from a recipe in Buzza-Cardozo of Hollywood's 1933 book Hollywood Cocktails: Over 200 Excellent Recipes, this cocktail is thought to have been created at the Prohibition-era Embassy Club in Hollywood, a speakeasy opened in 1928 by Adolph "Eddie" Brandstatter (1886-19400). One of Hollywood's leading restaurateurs, he owned Café Montemartre at 6757 Hollywood Boulevard and his Embassy Club was a private venue exclusive to fee-paying Hollywood stars and glitterati. To quote the Los Angeles Times, " He had the "Brandstatter touch": one part dapper European suavity - he brought a sheen of elegance to the rough-edged Hollywood of the 1920s - and one part straight-up charisma. Wherever Eddie was, that was the party."

However, some believe the Embassy Cocktail was created at the Embassy Club in London rather than any of the numerous American clubs with the same name. Robert Vermeire, author of the 1922 Cocktails: How to Mix Them worked at London's Embassy Club, indeed the title page says "By Robert of the Embassy Club", but his book (published in London) doesn't include a cocktail named Embassy.

The "Embassy Cocktail" does appear in William T. "Cocktail Bill" Boothby's 1934 The World Drinks and how to mix them, but without attribution. Tellingly this book was published in San Francisco, California – the same state where I'm sure this cocktail emerged after the 1928 opening of Hollywood's Embassy Club.

EMBASSY COCKTAIL
¼ Brandy
¼ Cointreau
¼ Jamaica Rum
¼ Lime
Buzza-Cardozo, Hollywood Cocktails, 1933

EMBASSY CLUB
Cognac ............. ¼ jigger
Cointreau ......... ¼ jigger
Rum ................. ¼ jigger
Lime ................. ¼ jigger
Shake well with ice, strain into chilled cocktail glass, twist lemon peel over and serve.
William T. "Cocktail Bill" Boothby, The World Drinks and how to mix them, 1934

Review

The Daiquiri and Sidecar's lovechild. Some add aromatic bitters, but it's better without, as this allows the rum and brandy interplay to shine. However, like a Daiquiri, the Embassy opens with a touch of dilution, so, depending on your ice, consider adding a splash of water.

Gallery

Comments & Discussion

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John Hinojos Premium Member 1y

Very nice cocktail. We had a little bit of extra lime and put that into the cocktail. Easy to drink. Delightful flavour.

Ashley Acosta-Fox 1y

This was marvelous. I had a particularly juicy lime on hand so I ended up rolling with a whole ounce of lime juice, and it worked well for me (I do enjoy them sour!)

James Brooke Premium Member 2y

The recipe I’d previously seen for this omitted the Angostura bitters and called for dark Jamaican rum. It also had all the ingredients in equal parts, at half an ounce each.