Name: Vanessa Polk
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 45 ml Aged rum (6-10yr); 22.5 ml Cherry brandy; 6 drop Chocolate bitters; 1 dash Aromatic bitters

Vanessa Polk
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Glass:

Serve in a Nick & Nora glass

Ingredients:
1 ¹⁄₂ fl oz	Caribbean blended rum aged 6-10 years
³⁄₄ fl oz	Cherry (brandy) liqueur
6 drop	Chocolate bitters
1 dash	Angostura Aromatic Bitters

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

Prepare:

Select and pre-chill a NICK & NORA GLASS.
Prepare garnish of skewered Luxardo Maraschino Cherries.

How to make:

STIR all ingredients with ice.
FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish:

Garnish with skewered Luxardo Maraschino Cherries.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Review:

Cherry red, spirit-forward and dangerously quaffable as a late-night tipple.

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History:

Adapted from a recipe created in 2025 by J. E. Clapham of Clapham Cocktails and named after the "rather impressive heiress" in P.G. Wodehouse's A Pelican at Blandings. The original recipe calls for Chairman's Reserve Rum.

More cocktails by J. E. Clapham of Clapham Cocktails

Nutrition:

One serving of Vanessa Polk contains 206 calories

Alcohol content:

1.3 standard drinks
27.27% alc./vol. (54.54° proof)
18.6 grams of pure alcohol

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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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Showing 7 comments for Vanessa Polk.
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Alex Powell

3rd October 2025 at 12:10

Worked well with Appleton 12 and frederiksdal kirsebær. With that combination I find it almost a little austere for a post-prandial, a little dash of garnish cherry syrup got it just right. Lovely.

G. M. Genovese

9th March 2025 at 00:09

I wanted to loathe this but I almost maybe love it. At the very least, it's a drink you must make for the public. Appleton Estate 8, Luxardo Sangue Morlacco, and Bittermens Xocolatl Mole. What can you do?

Caspian Berggren

12th November 2024 at 19:38

Worked lovely with El Dorado 8. It's like a delicious cherry chocolate praline.

Chris Dimal

26th April at 05:06

Seconded for the description. Even with using Appleton Reserve, it really does feel like that.

G. M. Genovese

9th March 2025 at 00:05

I love that description. I'm sold.

Andy Parnell-Hopkinson

3rd November 2024 at 21:28

I get the idea but Jamaican rum was too funky. Will try with Cuban next time.

G. M. Genovese

9th March 2025 at 00:05

Which brand did you use?

Yorey C

2nd November 2024 at 21:58

they should call it polker hands

andy nicholson

8th November 2024 at 06:35

I'm glad I'm not the only one who wondered this about the naming? Maybe the Doug Selbst?

Simon Sedgley

13th October 2024 at 05:34

A serious but also somehow fun cocktail. Perhaps it's the cherry and chocolate that lighten the mood. A bit timid at the specified volumes, so we up the rum to 60ml, the Heering to 30ml and add two more drops of the chocolate bitters. Fits nicely in our Nick and Nora glasses, which we think are much better suited to this cocktail than the recommended coupe.