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Holland House (Craddock's London dry gin-based)

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (63)
Measurements in:
Serves:
1
Ingredients
3 wedge Pineapple (fresh)
1 2/3 fl oz Hayman's London Dry Gin
1/2 fl oz Strucchi Dry Vermouth (chilled)
1/4 fl oz Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
1/4 fl oz Pineapple juice (chilled)
1/4 fl oz Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)

How to make

Glassware

Serve in a Coupe glass

Prepare

  1. Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
  2. Prepare garnish of pineapple wedge.

Method

  1. MUDDLE pineapple in base of shaker.
  2. Add other ingredients and SHAKE with ice.
  3. FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

  1. Garnish with pineapple wedge on rim.

Flavour Profile

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

Health & Nutrition

Alcohol content:

We don't have enough information to calculate the alc./vol., but based on known ingredients, this recipe contains at least:

  • 20.3 grams of pure alcohol

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

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History

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

HOLLAND HOUSE COCKTAIL.
The Juice of ÂĽ Lemon.
1 Slice Pineapple.
1/3 French Vermouth.
2/3 Dry Gin.
4 Dashes Maraschino.
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Harry Craddock, 1930


Prior to heading up The American Bar at The Savoy Hotel in London, Craddock worked in New York's Holland House Hotel, where this was the signature cocktail. Craddock's Holland House recipe is very different to that of George J. Kappeler, who preceded Craddock at The Holland House and wrote his cocktail book 35 years earlier.

Review

Don't be misled by the pineapple in this cocktail; it's spirit-forward and relatively dry with a tropical fruit garnish. It's also delicious!

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$5.19 per cocktail*

Makes a minimum of 15 cocktails.
Shipping and applicable tax calculated at checkout.


Orders are processed by a licensed Fulproof retailer. The buy now button is added simply for convenience.

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* May not include all ingredients. Price per cocktail is an estimate based on cost of one cocktail with ingredients shown above and does not include shipping.

Gallery

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Comments & Discussion

Heidi Della Pesca Premium Member
Nice, Light, balanced, AND dry. This is also another one that scales up very well. (Don't blame me, I just have a rather large coupe that just doesn't feel right when it's too empty.....)

I think @Malea is right - pineapple juice is key. I don't have the patience to press my own, but am lucky - my local grocery sells fresh cold pressed pineapple juice, and that flavor just shines through. Every element of this has its own presence, from the maraschino to the lemon, although the gin feels almost , , , ladylike, very restrained and proper. Beautifully complex and interesting. Nice drink.

Scaled up 1.5

2½ oz London Dry Gin
1ÂĽ oz Dry Vermouth
Âľ oz Pineapple Juice
½ oz Lemon Juice
ÂĽ oz Maraschino Liqueur
Barspoon rich simple syrup (or omit entirely if you like it dry)

Fills the big coupe tout suite. Thanks, Difford's.
score: 2
Malea Kneen
Had made a note to try this again with “better” pineapple juice. Had just enough of my freshly-squeezed juice left over after him indoors made an “outrageous” Tiki drink for himself to make this and am very glad I did. Delicious! Each ingredient shining through.
score: 1
Heidi Della Pesca Premium Member
Too right on the pineapple juice. Thanks!
score: 1
Florian Ruf Premium Member
Astonishing dry cocktail which we liked after adapting it a bit. I used ¾ oz (store bought) pineapple juice because the maraschino overpowered it totally. It was not at all tropical 🌴.
score: 2
Sally Morgan Premium Member
I prefer it without the sugar syrup so you can fully appreciate the complexity of the different flavours riffing off each other
score: 2
John CARR Premium Member
Revisiting. A bright, fresh no-nonsense classic. I can taste the gin, I can taste the vermouth, I can taste the pineapple and lemon. Slightly sweet from the Luxardo. Wonderful.
score: 2
John CARR Premium Member
Distinctly dry but very delicious. Brilliant as an aperitif, although the drinker will have to like dry vermouth. I used good old Bombay sapphire and thought its sweetness worked well.
score: 3
Chris Dimal
Very, very, very, very dry. The dry vermouth takes centre stage with gin and Maraschino following. The pineapple is a mere hum. Definitely for the truly discerning drinker. Give it to someone who's 'generic', and they'd hate it.
score: 1
Beth Schneider
This did just not work for me. I found the combination of flavours too sour and spirit-forward.
score: 1
John Hinojos Premium Member
Great aperitif. Had this to commemorate the start of Prohibition in the US. As the Holland House was the bar Craddock worked on that last day, decided on this. It is nicely dry with a slight hint of pineapple. Would recommend.
score: 3
Simon Sedgley Premium Member
Prohibition brought out the best in American creative pragmatism. Take a prescription from your accommodating GP to your local 'drugstore' (aka grocery) and you walked out whiskey bottle in hand. No problem. And so the term "medicinal whiskey" was born.
score: 1
Difford’s Shop logo
$5.19 per cocktail*

Makes a minimum of 15 cocktails.
Shipping and applicable tax calculated at checkout.


Orders are processed by a licensed Fulproof retailer. The buy now button is added simply for convenience.

Checkout

* May not include all ingredients. Price per cocktail is an estimate based on cost of one cocktail with ingredients shown above and does not include shipping.