The Atty Cocktail

Serve in

Garnish:

Lemon zest twist

How to make:

STIR all ingredients with ice and strain into chilled glass.

Review:

My recipe remains pretty true to Craddock's classic 1930's proportions but, in line with modern bartending conventions, I now disregard Craddock's instructions and stir rather than shake this cocktail. However, arguably, shaking yields an even more delicious drink and, if you decide to shake, consider doubling the measures of both crème de violette and absinthe. Shaken, or stirred, this Martini-style cocktail is dry and aromatic with subtle floral and aniseed notes.

History:

Adapted from a recipe in Harry Craddock's 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book.

ATTY COCKTAIL
¼ French Vermouth.
3 Dashes Absinthe.
¾ Gin.
3 Dashes Crème de Violette.
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Harry Craddock, 1930

Many of the recipes in Craddock's 1930 book are borrowed from Hugo-R-Ensslin's 1917 Recipes For Mixed Drinks (the last major pre-Prohibition cocktail book) and, while there is no Atty cocktail, there is a cocktail called "Attention" in Ensslin's book which shares the same ingredients, listed in the same order, as the Atty but in misbalanced (equal parts) proportions:

ATTENTION COCKTAIL
¼ French vermouth
¼ Absinthe
¼ Gin
¼ Crème de Violette
Shake well in a mixing glass with cracked ice, strain and serve.

Hugo R. Ensslin, 1917

Due to the similarities, many have concluded that Ensslin's Attention inspired Craddock's rather better, perhaps abbreviated, Atty cocktail.

More cocktails by Harry Craddock

Nutrition:

158 calories

Alcohol content:

• 1.8 standard drinks
• 30.78% alc./vol. (61.56° proof)
• 25.4 grams of pure alcohol