The Ansonia

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (64 ratings)

Photographed in an Italesse Presidente Wormwood

Ingredients:
1 23 oz Blended Scotch whisky
12 oz Strucchi Rosso Vermouth
14 oz Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
0.08 oz La Fée Parisienne absinthe
× 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. FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 8/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 7/10

Review:

Scotch with delicate notes of sweet vermouth, maraschino and absinthe. Subtle and refined.

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History:

Adapted from a recipe by Charles Christopher in his 1934 Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars and named after a luxurious residential hotel on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The Ansonia was built in 1904 and was the permanent home of the rich and famous including baseball player Babe Ruth, composer Igor Stravinsky, writer Theodore Dreiser and operatic tenor Enrico Caruso. The first air-conditioned hotel in New York, the hotel's opulence was legendary and included a lobby pool and fountain which was home to a family of live seals.

The original recipe called for dashes of Ojen bitters rather than absinthe. However, absinthe was banned in the USA at the time and Ojen was a Spanish brand of absinthe, so this was a way to communicate the use of absinthe to other bartenders without highlighting the fact to authorities.

ANSONIA
2/3 Scotch
2 Dashes Maraschino
2 Dashes Italian Vermouth
Dash Ojen Bitters
Glass No. 1. Stir.

Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars, 1903-33

The Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars book includes two other unrelated cocktails also named "Ansonia", a Scotch-based fix with port, orgeat and lime; and an apricot brandy-based cocktail with rye, sherry, lemon and grenadine.

Nutrition:

One serving of The Ansonia contains 162 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 1.5 standard drinks
  • 27.82% alc./vol. (27.82° proof)
  • 20.9 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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MIKE LANDERS’ Avatar MIKE LANDERS
12th November 2024 at 21:55
Very good. Like an improved Rob Roy with the addition of maraschino and absinthe.
John Hinojos’ Avatar John Hinojos
11th April 2023 at 04:38
Perfect for an evening sipper or nightcap. Loved the mixture of flavours and the lovely hint of absinthe. Originally I thought it was a bit sweet, but the cocktail softens and blends together as it warms up. A keeper.
L. Zimina’s Avatar L. Zimina
6th March 2022 at 17:28
This one is a keeper, I've been coming back to it often. I personally like it even better with ¾ oz. sweet vermouth.
Geoff B.’s Avatar Geoff B.
27th January 2021 at 06:52
Great with absinthe! Lovely sweet, cherry, honey, vanilla, and anise. Boozy, spicy, and a hint sweet. Just how I like it.
David M.’s Avatar David M.
27th January 2021 at 06:51
Pleasant, but a bit too absinthe forward (and I love absinthe). Just missed tasting more of the scotch and maraschino.
Nice mouthfeel though and the cherry was a nice treat at the end.
Simon Difford’s Avatar Simon Difford
16th March 2022 at 21:43
Hi David. I've just revisited The Ansonia and thanks to your comment, I've cut the absinthe in half and now a much better cocktail. Less is more!