tom munger

Terrific! Both the cocktail and the Joplin!

This recipe is very similar to the one for the “Tale of Two Roberts” cocktail credited to Frank Caiafa of the Waldof-Astoria by Philip Greene in his excellent 2016 book *The Manhattan (The Story of the First Modern Cocktail)* [Sterling Publishing, 2016]:
2 oz Scotch
1 oz sweet vermouth
1/4 oz Bénédictine
2 dashes absinthe
Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, lemon peel garnish.
It’s one of my very favorite libations (although I substitute 1 tsp Pernod for the absinth)

I read this on the internet, so you know it’s true: because French vermouth was not available in England during the Nazi regime in France during WWII, Churchill would turn south toward Paris and bow slightly to toast in recognition to the home of dry vermouth before quaffing his martini.