Suffering Bastard

Difford’s Guide
Discerning Drinkers (109 ratings)

Glass:

Serve in a Tiki mug or collins

Ingredients:
1 fl oz Cognac (brandy)
1 fl oz Hayman's London Dry Gin
23 fl oz Lime cordial (sweetened lime juice)
13 fl oz Lime juice (freshly squeezed)
3 dash Angostura Aromatic Bitters
3 13 fl oz Thomas Henry Ginger Beer
× 1 1 serving
Read about cocktail measures and measuring

Prepare:

  1. Select and pre-chill a TIKI MUG OR COLLINS GLASS.
  2. Prepare garnish of skewered pineapple cubes and Luxardo Maraschino Cherry, lime wedge and mint sprigs..

How to make:

  1. SHAKE first 5 ingredients with ice.
  2. STRAIN into ice-filled glass/mug half filled with ginger beer.
  3. TOP with rest of ginger beer.

Garnish:

  1. Garnish with pineapple cube and maraschino cherry fruit stick, lime wedge and mint sprigs bouquet.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Strength 5/10
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Sweet to sour 5/10
Cocktail of the day:

25th July 2026 is The day Admiral Nelson lost an arm

Review:

Unusually combining gin and cognac, lengthened and spiced with ginger beer, this vintage classic was originally designed as a hangover cure.

View readers' comments

History:

Created in 1942 by Joe Scialom at the Shepheard's Hotel, Cairo, Egypt.

Nutrition:

One serving of Suffering Bastard contains 204 calories

Alcohol content:

  • 1.4 standard drinks
  • 9.54% alc./vol. (19.09° proof)
  • 19.6 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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John Hinojos’ Avatar John Hinojos
8th May 2022 at 23:00
We have a whole collection of 1960s tiki mugs. This was perfect to serve in one of them. Interesting blend of flavours with the wonderful taste of the ginger beer. It went perfect with our lunch.
matt presley’s Avatar matt presley
23rd March 2022 at 05:58
Just watched season three episode three of Venture Brothers, where this cocktail is referenced. Which is why I looked it up. Going to try it tomorrow. Go team Venture!
Richard Elgar’s Avatar Richard Elgar
30th September 2020 at 05:35
I went closer to the original recipe for this, and used only Rose's, but 1/2oz, and no pineapple or cherry, but rather a slice of orange and a sprig of mint. Not bad. Here's a video of me making it, straight after suffering through a presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden: https://youtu.be/695iXf6GS2Y