1919

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (34 ratings)

Photographed in a Retro Coupe

Ingredients:
1 13 oz Punt E Mes vermouth amaro
34 oz Straight rye whiskey (100 proof /50% alc./vol.)
34 oz Jamaican aged blended rum with funk
12 oz Bénédictine D.O.M. liqueur
1 dash Xocolatl mole bitters
× 1 1 serving
Read about cocktail measures and measuring

How to make:

  1. Select and pre-chill a Coupe glass.
  2. Prepare garnish of skewered Luxardo Maraschino Cherry.
  3. STIR all ingredients with ice.
  4. STRAIN into chilled glass.
  5. Garnish with skewered cherry.

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 9/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 7/10

Review:

Rum and rye-laced, herbal and faintly fudge-like with delicate spice.

View readers' comments

History:

Adapted from a cocktail created in 2008 by Ben Sandrof at Drink Bar in Fort Point, Boston, USA. (Sadly, shuttered in January 2024.) This cocktail was perhaps inspired by the bar's Fort Point cocktail.

Not named after Angostura 1919 Rum, this cocktail was originally made with Old Monk Rum, the molasses notes of which inspired the name which references the Great Molasses Disaster of 15th January 1919 when 10 million litre tank of molasses stored for distilling exploded. The ensuing flood drowned and killed many. Coincidently, Prohibition started at the stroke of midnight the next day.

Alcohol content:

  • 1.8 standard drinks
  • 25.78% alc./vol. (25.78° proof)
  • 25.9 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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Simon Sedgley’s Avatar Simon Sedgley
11th March at 14:35
Really lovely...but 10ml Benedictine is enough for us.
Cole Hladun’s Avatar Cole Hladun
17th February at 07:30
Nearly perfect. Complex and balanced, but a bit sweet. I'll go light on the Benedictine next time. The rum was Hampden HLCF classic.
Tuber Magnatum’s Avatar Tuber Magnatum
2nd December 2024 at 23:39
Sipping this lovely cocktail for the first time to celebrate my birthday! Depending on your flavour profile, I think the choice of rum is what will make this drink shine. What I particularly enjoyed was the chocolate notes from the bitters. Definitely a repeat!
Paloma Difford’s Avatar Paloma Difford
3rd December 2024 at 08:11
Happy belated Birthday!
John CARR’s Avatar John CARR
30th July 2024 at 12:52
Wow. Broadly Manhattan-like, but with really wonderful fruity and herbal notes, and almost Smokey quality. Highly flavoursome!
John CARR’s Avatar John CARR
30th July 2024 at 13:02
Tempted to try this next a 100 year old cigar for comparison.
Stephen C’s Avatar Stephen C
28th July 2024 at 02:54
Tried this the other day after I saw it mentioned in the fort point discussion. Definitely prefer this between the two.
Andy Parnell-Hopkinson’s Avatar Andy Parnell-Hopkinson
27th July 2024 at 21:22
Big hitter. Among with the Fort Point, makes me sad I never visited Drink.