Army & Navy

Serve in a

Garnish:

Lemon zest twist

How to make:

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

Hazardous ingredients

Orgeat (almond) sugar syrup is potentially hazardous to those with allergy or intolerance.

Review:

Almond and lemon flavoured gin. Subtle, citrus and, despite generous orgeat, fairly dry.

Variant:

With amaretto: 60ml (2oz) gin, 15 (½oz) lemon juice, 7.5 (¼oz) amaretto liqueur, 5 (1 spoon) orgeat syrup, and 1 dash aromatic bitters.

History:

This cocktail first appears in David A. Embury's 1948 The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks so establishing a 'made before' date. Little else is known but based upon its name, folk suggest it originated at The Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C.. The club's lounge is also said to be "where the famous Daiquiri cocktail was introduced to the United States."

Thanks to Embury, we know the original recipe comprised a 4:2:2 formula, but the lawyer turned cocktail writer opts for an 8:2:1 formula, describing the original formulation as "horrible". I've ended up with an 8:3:2 formula in the quest for balance and deliciousness.

ARMY & NAVY.
1 part Lemon Juice
1 part Orgeat
2 parts Gin
1 have given the original recipe which, to my mind, is horrible. If made to my 1:2:8 formula, it is merely the Gin Sour with orgeat used in place of sugar syrup.

David A. Embury, 1948

More cocktails by David A. Embury

Alcohol content:

• 1.5 standard drinks
• 19.45% alc./vol. (38.9° proof)
• 21 grams of pure alcohol