No alcohol
Medium
Boozy
Artist's Special Cocktail
Measurements in:
Serves:
| 1 1⁄2 fl oz | Irish whiskey |
| 1 1⁄2 fl oz | Lustau Oloroso Don Nuño Sherry |
| 1⁄2 fl oz | Lemon juice (freshly squeezed) |
| 1⁄2 fl oz | Groseille (redcurrant) syrup |
How to make
Glassware
Serve in a Coupe glass
Prepare
- Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
- Prepare garnish of redcurrants.
Method
- SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
- FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.
Garnish
- Garnish with redcurrants bunch laid across rim.
Flavour Profile
Sweet
Medium
Dry/sour
Health & Nutrition
Nutrition:
One serving of Artist's Special Cocktail contains 189 calories
Alcohol content:
- 1.5 standard drinks
- 16.54% alc./vol. (33.09° proof)
- 21.3 grams of pure alcohol
History
A voraciously pink Parisian special from the 1920s, this cocktail first appears in print in Harry MacElhone's 1927 Barflies and Cocktails.
Artist's Special.
Harry McElhone, 1927
1/3 Scotch Whisky,
1/3 Sherry,
1/6 Lemon juice,
1/6 Groseille syrup,
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.
(Recipe from the Artists' Club, Rue Pigalle, Paris.)
Exactly the same recipe appears three years later in Harry Craddock's 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book.
ARTIST'S (SPECIAL) COCKTAIL.
Harry Craddock, 1930
1/3 Whisky.
1/3 Sherry.
1/6 Lemon Juice.
1/6 Groseille Syrup.
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.
This is the genuine 'Ink of Inspiration' imbibed at the Bal Bullier, Paris. The recipe is from the Artists' Club, Rue Pigalle, Paris.
The "Bal Bullier, Paris" Craddock refers to was a famous ballroom opened by François Bullier in the mid-nineteenth century at 39 Avenue Georges Bernanos, Paris. It closed in 1940.
Review
Irish whiskey is often matured in oloroso sherry seasoned casks so it's no surprise that whiskey and sherry blend harmoniously in this cocktail, with lemon tartness balanced by rich red currant syrup, the key ingredient that makes this cocktail "Special".
Cocktail of the day:
15th April 2026 is World Art Day
$3.09 per cocktail*
Makes a minimum of 16.5 cocktails.
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* May not include all ingredients. Price per cocktail is an estimate based on cost of one cocktail with ingredients shown above and does not include shipping.
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