Mainbrace

Difford's Guide
Discerning Drinkers (54 ratings)

Serve in

Coupe glass

Photographed in

Urban Bar Freddo Coupe Glass

Garnish:

Orange zest twist

How to make:

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

1 fl oz Hayman's London Dry Gin
1 fl oz Triple sec liqueur (40% alc./vol.)
1 fl oz Pink grapefruit juice (freshly squeezed)
2 drop Saline solution 4:1 (20g sea salt to 80g water)
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Review:

Tangy grapefruit laced with gin and a hint of orange. Tart finish.

History:

This gin-based cocktail takes its name from a Navy term, usually associated with rum. However, while the ratings on British Navy ships drank rum, their officers sipped gin.

Braces are the ropes that control the angle of the sails on square-rigged ships, and the mainbrace is the longest rope in the rigging. If the mainbrace were shot away during a battle, then the ship would be rendered unmaneuverable. The mainbrace runs through blocks, so it cannot be repaired with a short splice or a knot. Instead, a long splice is needed, so even outside of battle, this is a difficult and skilled job. Hence, it was customary for the men who spliced the mainbrace to be rewarded with an extra ration of rum. Over time, the order to "splice the mainbrace" came to mean that the whole crew would receive an extra ration of rum, issued after victory or to celebrate a special occasion such as a royal birth.

Alcohol content:

  • 1.4 standard drinks
  • 21.82% alc./vol. (43.64° 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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Buy direct from
the_whisky_exchange store logo
£ -.--

Makes a minimum of ... cocktails
Just £ -.-- per cocktail*

* This list may not include all required ingredients.
Price per cocktail is an estimate based on the cost of making one cocktail with the available ingredients shown above and does not include any postage charges.
Buy direct from Difford’s Guide
Difford's Easy Jigger
£8.72 £8.72 exc VAT
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