Melba Cocktail

Difford's Guide
Discerning Drinkers (8 ratings)

Serve in a

Coupe glass

Photographed in a

LSA Olivia Champagne Saucer

Garnish:

Float mint leaf or peg to rim

How to make:

SHAKE all ingredients with ice and fine strain into chilled glass.

1 2/3 fl oz Light white rum (charcoal-filtered 1-4 years old)
3/4 fl oz Swedish Punsch liqueur
1/2 fl oz Lime juice (freshly squeezed)
1/6 fl oz Grenadine/pomegranate syrup (2:1)
1/12 fl oz La Fée Parisienne absinthe
1/3 fl oz Chilled water
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Review:

This would be better named, "Melba Daiquiri", as it is a Swedish punsch, absinthe, and grenadine influenced Daiquiri. I've dramatically changed the equal parts rum and Swedish punsch specified in The Savoy Cocktail Book original, and upped the grenadine, but hopefully for the better.

History:

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

MELBA COCKTAIL.
2 Dashes Grenadine.
2 Dashes Absinthe.
The juice of ¼ lemon or ½ lime.
½ Glass Bacardi Rum.
½ Glass Swedish Punch.
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Harry Craddock, 1930

Created in honour of Dame Nellie Melba, the stage name of famous Australian operatic soprano, Helen Porter Mitchell (1861–1931). Her adopted name Melba is short for the city where she first performed aged just six at a concert in the Melbourne Town Hall. Her first professional performance, aged 23, was at a benefit concert also in Melbourne. She performed regularly at London's Covent Garden, a short walk from The Savoy.

In 1918, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire and such was Dame Melba's popularity that, as well as to this cocktail, her name was attached to the Peach Melba dessert and Melba toast, patented in 1929 by Bert Weil.

Alcohol content:

  • 1.6 standard drinks
  • 21.16% alc./vol. (42.32° proof)
  • 22.2 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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Buy direct from
the_whisky_exchange store logo
£ -.--

Makes a minimum of ... cocktails
Just £ -.-- per cocktail*

* This list may not include all required ingredients.
Price per cocktail is an estimate based on the cost of making one cocktail with the available ingredients shown above and does not include any postage charges.
Buy direct from Difford’s Guide
Difford's Easy Jigger
£8.72 £8.72 exc VAT
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