Name: East India No.2
Total time: 4 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 50 ml Cognac (brandy); 10 ml Orange Curaçao; 10 ml Pineapple juice; 5 ml Pineapple syrup; 2 dash Aromatic bitters

Ingredients

1 2/3 fl oz

Cognac (brandy)

1/3 fl oz

Ferrand Dry Curaçao liqueur

1/3 fl oz

Pineapple juice

1/6 fl oz

Monin Pineapple Syrup

2 dash

Angostura Aromatic Bitters

How to make

Glassware

Prepare

Select and pre-chill a NICK & NORA GLASS.

Prepare garnish of pineapple wedge.

Method

SHAKE all ingredients with ice.

FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

Garnish with pineapple wedge on rim.

Flavour Profile

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

Health & Nutrition

Nutrition:

One serving of East India No.2 contains 164 calories

Alcohol content:

1.4 standard drinks
23.61% alc./vol. (47.22° proof)
19.2 grams of pure alcohol

History

An East India (No. 2) classically has pineapple syrup or pineapple juice, while an East India No. 1 instead calls for raspberry syrup. Pineapple syrup is first recorded in an East India in Robert Vermeire's 1922 Cocktails: How to Mix Them and is repeated in Frank Meier's 1936 The-Artistry of Mixing Drinks and it's Meier, who worked at Ritz Bar, Paris from 1921 to 1947, who is said to have introduced pineapple to this cocktail.

In his 1923 Harry of Ciros ABC-of-mixing-cocktails, Harry MacElhone also uses pineapple syrup in his East India, which, like the above, is otherwise pretty much the same as Harry Johnson's 1882 East India No. 1 - indeed, MacElhone credits the recipe to Johnson.

Harry Craddock's influential 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book stipulates pineapple juice in place of pineapple syrup, and this is repeated in other cocktail books which follow, including William James "Billy" Tarling's 1937 Café Royal Cocktail Book. I've honoured all the above by using both pineapple juice and syrup in my version of an East India.

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Comments & Discussion

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Tuber Magnatum Premium Member Commenter Appreciated Commenter 7 months ago

Tried this for first time as I read it was one of the suggested cocktail's of the day for Dec. 31st. What I didn't read was that it was recommended as an after dinner drink. I am glad I didn't, as I might not have made it as I was looking for an apéritif, a purpose for which I thought it served very well!

Jonathan Goldthorpe Appreciated Commenter Commenter 8 months ago

Quite delicious
Well balanced with the alcohol and the fruit in perfect partnership

Joshua Perez Commenter Appreciated Commenter 1 year ago

Pineapple syrup replaced the raspberry as early as 1888. Both Harry Johnson's 1888 and 1900 New & Improved Bartender's Manuals list pineapple syrup instead of raspberry. Trying to organize my cocktail recipes and the many East India variations is proving difficult. Thank you once again for your research!

Ruth Harvey Commenter Appreciated Commenter 1 year ago

After trying this recipe, it was my inspiration to make a different cocktail! I halved the cognac and added dark rum. I added creme de Pêche instead of pineapple sugar syrup and doubled the pineapple juice. Both drinks were great.

Daniel-Pascal Zorn 1 year ago

Nice drink. I added 0,5 cl pineapple shrub and two drops saline solution to balance it out. Now it’s even nicer.

Jonathan Stephens Premium Member Commenter Appreciated Commenter 1 year ago

Very nice. Didn’t have pineapple syrup so used syrup from stem ginger. Works well

John CARR Premium Member Commenter Appreciated Commenter 2 years ago

The simplicity belies the potency of flavour. A small drink with a big kick! Didn’t have pineapple syrup but could have muddled a piece of mango in the shaker, following others’ lead. Next time!

Chris Brislawn Commenter Appreciated Commenter 2 years ago

Simon’s amounts are rather small (2.5 oz total) so I kept his 5:1:1 proportions while increasing amounts to 2.5 oz cognac, 0.5 oz orange liqueur, 0.5 oz pineapple juice and 3 dashes Angostura. No pineapple syrup so, following Morgan and Hinojos, I used 1 tsp mango puree, figuring it was closer in flavor to pineapple than passion fruit. No fresh pineapple so garnished with candied ginger on cocktail swords, which works quite well with the tropical flavors. Makes for a great, offbeat tiki drink.

Chris Dimal Commenter Appreciated Commenter 3 years ago

Remade it, this time with a proper pineapple syrup plus pineapple juice and with Cognac. It is much more interesting, but 5 stars? Hmmm....

John Hinojos Premium Member Commenter Appreciated Commenter 3 years ago

This is a perfect after-dinner cocktail. As I did not have pineapple syrup, took a hint from Sally Morgan and used Passion Fruit syrup. It was outstanding. You can still taste the cognac, but with a tropical/exotic flavour. Delightful.