Name: Leap Year Cocktail
Total time: 4 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 30 ml Gin; 15 ml Old Tom gin; 15 ml Grand Marnier; 15 ml Rosso/sweet vermouth; 7.5 ml Lemon juice

Ingredients

1 fl oz

Hayman's London Dry Gin

1/2 fl oz

Hayman's Old Tom Gin

1/2 fl oz

Grand Marnier or other cognac orange liqueur

1/2 fl oz

Strucchi Rosso Vermouth

1/4 fl oz

Lemon juice (freshly squeezed)

How to make

Glassware

Prepare

Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.

Prepare garnish of lemon zest twist.

Method

SHAKE all ingredients with ice.

FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

EXPRESS lemon zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Flavour Profile

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

Health & Nutrition

Nutrition:

One serving of Leap Year Cocktail contains 158 calories

Alcohol content:

1.5 standard drinks
24.04% alc./vol. (48.07° proof)
21.3 grams of pure alcohol

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Rosso/rouge/sweet vermouth (di Torino) — Sulphur Dioxide/Sulphites

History

Created 29th February 1928 by Harry Craddock for the Leap Year celebrations at The American Bar in London's Savoy Hotel. The cocktail features in his 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book with the notation, "It is said to have been responsible for more proposals than any other cocktail that has ever been mixed."

LEAP YEAR COCKTAIL.
1 Dash Lemon Juice.
2/3 Gin. 1/6 Grand Marnier.
1/6 Italian Vermouth.
Shake well and serve in cocktail glass. Squeeze lemon on top.

Harry Craddock, 1930

Comments & Discussion

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Mason Hanson 5 months ago

I made this with St. George Valley gin (didn't have any Old Tom) and Cinzano. I felt like I couldn't quite get the taste right; I tinkered with amounts of lemon, Grand Marnier, and finally added a bit more gin and that seemed to do the trick. Next time I'll lean a little heavier on the gin in the beginning.

Frederic D. 4 years ago

I had no Old Tom so I made this with 2 oz Bombay Sapphire. I also added 1/4 oz of simple to dial the dryness down just a bit, and ended up quite liking it. The lemon comes through nicely, and it benefits from using Grand Marnier instead of Cointreau/triple sec.

Mason Hanson 5 months ago

Agreed about the lemon! It came through much stronger than I anticipated given its amount.

Geoff B. 5 years ago

Using Plymouth Gin and Cocchi di Torino was a clean and dry concoction. The lemon is very present and as suggested is nice served very cold.

Simon Difford 5 years ago

Thanks for the feedback Geoff B and David M. I've revisited and amended while seeking to respect The Savoy recipe.

David M. 5 years ago

Not a favorite. Doesn’t much taste like a Martini, but it certainly is dry despite the Cointreau and sweet vermouth. Also used Ransom Old Tom (which is not sweet, despite the name).
Could use a little more roundness. Contrary to Simon’s tip, I actually liked it a bit more as it warmed up a tad.