Name: Old Friend
Total time: 4 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 45 ml Gin; 22.5 ml Pink grapefruit juice; 15 ml Red bitter liqueur; 10 ml Elderflower liqueur

Ingredients

1 ¹⁄₂ fl oz

Hayman's London Dry Gin

³⁄₄ fl oz

Pink grapefruit juice (freshly squeezed)

¹⁄₂ fl oz

Italian red bitter liqueur

¹⁄₃ fl oz

Elderflower liqueur

How to make

Glassware

Prepare

Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.

Prepare garnish of grapefruit zest twist.

Method

SHAKE all ingredients with ice.

FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

EXPRESS grapefruit zest twist over cocktail and use as garnish.

Flavour Profile

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

Health & Nutrition

Nutrition:

One serving of Old Friend contains 168 calories

Alcohol content:

1.4 standard drinks
19.31% alc./vol. (38.62° proof)
19.2 grams of pure alcohol

Review

Tart, dry and lightly bitter, but with just enough underlying sweetness to stroke the palate and make another sip so very desirable – a complex, bittersweet taste sensation. Brilliant as an aperitif on a hot summer's evening.

Jim's original recipe calls for 7.5ml (¼oz) elderflower liqueur, but in October 2020, due to popular demand (see comments below), I amended the above recipe to have twice the volume of elderflower liqueur. Then, in June 2022, also in the pursuit of balance and pleasing the tastes of as many as possible, I nudged this back to 10ml (1/3oz). Given variations in citrus, I believe this is my final amendment.

Comments & Discussion

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Loz Horner 1w

Very nicely balanced. And what a lovely colour. This old friend can come again.

Riccardo Romeo 33w

I found the cocktail a little too bitter-forward: Campari and grapefruit are balanced only with 10ml of St. Germain. Maybe switching the proportions of elderflower and Campari would make it less bitter and more balanced. I know this is meant to be an aperitif, but next time I’ll try like this.

Walter Brookbank 1y

Was surprised at how balanced, thought the Campari would be more pronounced. I did a hard shake with a gardenia petal in the tin and garnished with a fresh petal. Added a very nice floral nose to the cocktail. Gardenia petals are edible in low quantities. Very nice indeed! Nice mouth feel too!

John CARR Premium Member 2y

Fruity and lightly tangy, with just the right amount of underlying sugar, herbs and bitterness to give it depth. Balance worked well for me, Campari was a lightly fruity undertone rather than dominating as it sometimes does. Very sippable.

John CARR Premium Member 2y

I think this season’s (Australian) grapefruits are on the mild side so might need dial back as appropriate on another occasion.

Ian Fenton 2y

I love bitter, but I felt the red bitter liqueur (Luxardo in my case, which I believe is less bitter than Campari) absolutely dominated the drink. Couldn’t even detect the St Germain, and the Bulldog gin I was using didn’t stand a chance (is there a Pitbull gin?).

Sally Morgan Premium Member 2y

Perfectly balanced for me at the current proportions. The bitterness of the grapefruit and Campari balance out the sweeter ingredients.

Yorey C 2y

Gilbey's ... it's kinda too much grapefruit honestly. not a bad jazz-up for a gin and juice but personally i kinda dont find it to have that legendary balance. kinda tastes like too much elder, ya know. not bad though. nice and dry

Avery Garnett 2y

The first few sips...wow, this is bringing meaning to the idea of a drink being dry. But...it definitely improved. Greatly so.

Calvin Grant Premium Member 2y

Oh My God My New Best Friend !... Nicely balanced. Each sip invited or practically demanded the next to try to identify the flavor sequence. Beefeater, Combier Liqueur de Sueau, Campari, Ocean Spray White Grapefruit Juice, pink grapefruit zest, perfect.