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Saratoga Cocktail

Name: Saratoga Cocktail
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 30 ml Cognac (brandy); 30 ml Rye whiskey 50% abv; 30 ml Rosso/sweet vermouth; 1 dash Boker's style bitters

Difford’s Guide

Discerning Drinkers (58)

Measurements in:

Serves:

Keep screen awake

Ingredients
1 fl oz	Cognac (brandy)
1 fl oz	Straight rye whiskey (100 proof /50% alc./vol.)
1 fl oz	Strucchi Rosso Vermouth
1 dash	Difford's Bokers Bitters By Bob's Bitters (optional)

How to make

Glass

Photographed in a Retro Coupe Engraved 7.75oz

Prepare

Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
Prepare garnish of orange or lemon zest twist (classically lemon).

Method

THROW (or STIR) all ingredients with ice.
STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

EXPRESS orange (or lemon) 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 Saratoga Cocktail contains 181 calories

Alcohol content:

1.8 standard drinks
27.85% alc./vol. (55.69° proof)
25.2 grams of pure alcohol

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Rosso/rouge/sweet vermouth (di Torino) — Sulphur Dioxide/Sulphites

History

Adapted from a recipe in the posthumously published 1887 Jerry Thomas' Bar-tenders Guide (Jerry "The Professor" Thomas died 15th December 1885).

The cocktail takes its name from Saratoga Springs, a city in New York State, which became a popular resort town due to its natural mineral springs and the Saratoga and Schenectady Railroad, which opened in 1832. Hotels sprang up, and Saratoga was "the 19th century's east coast equivalent of Las Vegas." In its day, the city's Grand Union Hotel was the largest in the world.

Saratoga Cocktail.
(Use small bar glass.)
Take 2 dashes of Angostura bitters.
1 pony of brandy.
1 pony of whiskey.
1 pony of Vermouth.
Shake up well with two small lumps of ice; strain into a claret glass, and serve with a quarter of a slice of lemon.
Anonymous, Jerry Thomas' Bar-tenders Guide, 1887

More cocktails by Jerry "The Professor" Thomas

Review

This brandy-influenced Sweet Manhattan is best mixed by throwing and enjoyed while bubbles still rest on its surface.

Variations/similar cocktails

Delmonico; Brandy Manhattan; Ocean Cable

Gallery

Comments & Discussion

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Chris Dimal Commenter Appreciated Commenter 8 months ago

Threw the drink. It's only okay, with the rye perhaps being too forward for me. I did use Ango, as per the stipulated 1887 recipe. Maybe would be better with Boekers?

John Hinojos Premium Member Commenter Appreciated Commenter 1 year ago

Made this again using a 118 proof California Rye and 1/2 Dry and 1/2 Rosso vermouth. Made the final cocktail somewhat drier and with a little more rye punch. Loved this version the best.

John Hinojos Premium Member Commenter Appreciated Commenter 4 years ago

Very nice, but made one minor change. Decided to use the vermouth measurements in the Brandy Manhattan (2/3 sweet/1/3 dry). Made the cocktail a bit drier. Liked the mixture of the rye and cognac. Very nice aperitif.