Old Flame

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (139 ratings)

Serve in a Martini glass

Ingredients:
1 oz Hayman's London Dry Gin
12 oz Cointreau triple sec liqueur
12 oz Strucchi Rosso Vermouth
12 oz Strucchi Red Bitter (Campari-style liqueur)
1 oz Orange juice (freshly squeezed)
× 1 1 serving
Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

  1. Select and pre-chill a Martini glass.
  2. Prepare garnish of orange zest twist.
  3. SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
  4. FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.
  5. EXPRESS flamed orange zest twist over cocktail, then use as garnish.

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 6/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 6/10

Review:

As Dale DeGroff, this cocktail's creator, says, it's a Negroni softened by fresh orange juice and a splash of triple sec.

View readers' comments

AKA: Fancy Nancy

History:

Adapted from a recipe created in 2001 by Dale DeGroff in New York, USA.

OLD FLAME *
I won first prize in the Fancy Cocktail category at the 2001 Martini & Rossi Grand Prix in Malaga with a version of this cocktail Jonathan Downey loves this drink with twice the gin and half the juice!
15 gin
15 Martini & Rossi sweet vermouth
5 ml Campari
20 ml Cointreau
30 ml fresh orange juice
Flamed orange peel, for garnish

Shake all the ingredients well to chill and strain into a chilled 5½-6oz (165-180ml) martini glass. Garnish with a flamed orange peel.

Dale DeGroff, The Craft Of The Cocktail, 2003

OLD FLAME* (AKA FANCY NANCY
The Old Flame is a variation on the Negroni. I was doing cocktail dinners on my book tour for the first edition of The Craft of the Cocktail and paired the Negroni with the canapés. In Texas the bitter finish of the Negroni left the writer and photographer less than enthusiastic. I pulled their two drinks and retooled the recipe on the fly, adding a sweet note–Cointreau–and some orange juice. Nancy, the photographer, was very enthusiastic with the results. I renamed the drink the Fancy Nacy in her honour. I won first prize in the Fancy Cocktail category at the 2001 Martini & Rossi Grand Prix in Malaga with a version of this under another name, the Old Flame.
1 ounce Bombay dry gin
½ ounce Martini & Rossi sweet vermouth
½ ounce Campari
½ ounce Cointreau
1 ounce fresh orange juice
Flamed orange zest coin, for garnish

Shake all the ingredients (except the garnish) well with ice to chill and strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with the flamed orange zest coin.

Dale DeGroff, The Craft Of The Cocktail, 2020 Revised Edition

Nutrition:

One serving of Old Flame contains 173 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 1.3 standard drinks
  • 17.16% alc./vol. (17.16° proof)
  • 18 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 Orme’s Avatar David Orme
14th February at 13:42
Superb. A lovely dry and crisp drink, one for the book
Florian Ruf’s Avatar Florian Ruf
9th December 2024 at 15:23
I used 1757 Vermouth di Torino and then Aperol to reduce the bitterness coming from the vermouth. In sum I think this is a really good cocktail, but you have to choose the best combination of vermouth and bitter liqueur.
G. M. Genovese’s Avatar G. M. Genovese
17th October 2024 at 10:05
One of the best cocktails using orange juice (I used Cara Cara). (2 Mar 2024, 9:04a) ... Just made this again using Punt e Mes - that might solve the sweetness issue some of you might be experiencing... This cocktail happens to share a name with one of my favorite Thin Lizzy songs. Had it on repeat while preparing this drink and heating up some Cincinnati chili... Sigh, leftovers. (17 Oct 2024, 6:05a)
keith field’s Avatar keith field
3rd November 2023 at 00:24
I found this to be too sweet. I used 3 oz Bombay Sapphire, cut the OJ back to 1 oz and added a dash of Regan's orange bitters. This may now become a favorite.
Bob Cook’s Avatar Bob Cook
18th July 2023 at 14:03
I juiced a few oranges that were approaching the "use 'em or lose 'em" stage, and then I went to Difford's cocktail finder to look for something to do with them. Avoiding the usual suspects, I decided that the Old Flame looked worth a try. It's a very good drink, with about the same alcohol content as a daiquiri made with two ounces of rum, but far more complexity. This is a much better drink than most drinks that use orange juice.
Chris Dimal’s Avatar Chris Dimal
14th February 2023 at 07:47
Bittersweet orange. A simple, approachable drink as an aperitivo/brunch.
22nd January 2023 at 02:15
Nice blend with a hint of Campari in the Background. Used fresh OJ
John Hinojos’ Avatar John Hinojos
2nd December 2022 at 01:04
A wonderful balanced cocktail. The orange brightens the flavour. The sweetness of your bitters will impact this cocktail. Would be very nice at any time, but particularly good in the afternoon or at brunch.
Morten Carlsbaek’s Avatar Morten Carlsbaek
8th October 2022 at 10:45
Isn't 8 on your sweet - dry/sour scale a mistake?
David Orme’s Avatar David Orme
14th February at 13:44
Yes I wondered that I thought a 6/7
Jasmine Lee’s Avatar Jasmine Lee
16th February 2022 at 02:34
I didn’t have orange juice on hand so I substituted with fresh pink grapefruit juice. It works, but I am keen to try it with orange juice another time.