Joseph Nelson
21st December 2025 at 23:57
I trimmed the lemon down by 5ml (as is my habit with my potent lemons!) and this was a totally delightful beverage that managed to be adroitly balanced. Chipper and tart but not sour. The Triple Sec sweetens the mix perfectly. This is going into my regular rotation!
6th October 2025 at 12:39
Supposedly, the first appearance of the Balalaika was published in the 1965 revised edition of The Savoy Cocktail Book. I haven't been able to confirm this myself, but the Japanese cocktail book 新版 バーテンダーズマニュアル credits it.
6th October 2025 at 12:44
Seems believable as I've found a recipe for it in the 1966 Booth’s Handbook of Cocktails and Mixed Drinks.
https://www.scribd.com/document/408647965/Collectif1806-1966-BOOTH-S-HANDBOOK-OF-COCKTAILS-AND-MIXED-DRINKS-E-pdf#content=query:balalaika,pageNum:83,indexOnPage:0,bestMatch:false
https://www.scribd.com/document/408647965/Collectif1806-1966-BOOTH-S-HANDBOOK-OF-COCKTAILS-AND-MIXED-DRINKS-E-pdf#content=query:balalaika,pageNum:83,indexOnPage:0,bestMatch:false
26th January 2024 at 00:17
Balanced and with a good citrus hit
16th September 2023 at 21:21
Very nice. Citrus, obviously, is the predominant flavor; however, this is not very sour. It is actually very balanced as is. Used Cointreau as my triple sec.
13th August 2022 at 08:16
Try swapping the vodka for pisco.
29th March 2022 at 16:22
This is certainly citrus-y and slightly sharp, what with the equal proprtion of lemon juice. Based on an old 80s cocktail book recipe, I have also tried this with Curaçao - Giffard's is a lovely opaque orange colour, and find its more complex flavour goes very well with the vodka and lemon. To my taste, the De Kuyper Triple Sec version ideally needs a little sugar syrup.
29th March 2022 at 22:16
Correction: the Giffard is an attractive transparent orange Curaçao (not opaque). Thanks for the notification - the newly rebalanced ingredients look to be a very enticing proposition!
29th March 2022 at 22:02
Agreed, the classic recipe either needs sugar syrup or rebalancing. Hopefully, the amended recipe above fits the bill.
17th March 2022 at 18:22
Very citrusy, love it!
30th November 2021 at 07:30
Add 15ml of simple syrup to cut through the bitterness of the lemon ☺️