Cocktail | |
---|---|
Type | Mixed drink |
Served | chilled |
Standard garnish | lemon slice |
Standard drinkware | Cocktail glass |
Commonly used ingredients |
or
|
Preparation | Fill mixing glass with gin, vermouth, and bitters. Add ice and stir until chilled, then add strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with a lemon peel. [1] |
The Blackthorn is an Irish whiskey or sloe gin based cocktail. Both versions emerged in the late 19th and early 20th century.
While these two version are the dominant ones today, there were several variations that early 20th century bartenders would have been aware of. Bill Boothby's World Drinks and How to Mix Them (1934) includes five different "Blackthorn" cocktails. [2]
The blackthorn is another name for Prunus spinosa , the plant whose fruit is called "sloes." Those sloes are infused in gin to create sloe gin, which gives the gin version of the cocktail its name. The name Blackthorn/Blackthorne was assigned to several cocktails, nearly all of which used sloe gin as its base.
The "Blackthorne Sour" was among the earliest and most widespread. In The 20th Century Guide for Mixing Fancy Drinks by James C. Maloney (1900) included a drink with sloe gin, apricot brandy, citrus juice and pineapple syrup. [3] Variations were abound. Joe Fitchett's 1925 recipe omits pineapple syrup. [4]
Among the first printed versions of the cocktail is in the 1906 How to Mix Drinks. It has equal parts Italian vermouth and sloe gin, while adding lemon juice, two kinds of bitters and syrup. Another cocktail called "Blackthorn" is included in the sours section, and closely matches Maloney's 1900 version. [5]
Straubs Manual of Mixed Drinks published in 1913 includes the "Blackthorne Cocktail" with orange bitters, dry vermouth and sloe gin. [6] Another early print version of the vermouth dominant version appears in J. A. Didier's The Reminder. The "Blackthorne Cocktail" appears in the Addenda and includes a 2:1 ratio of sloe gin to dry vermouth. [7] The "Blackthorne Sour" is included in the main text, suggesting the former as something of an afterthought.
The Blackthorne with vermouth gradually became the dominant cocktail associated with the name. Throughout the 1930's and on, the sour appeared less frequently in published cocktail books.
The cocktail's origins can be traced back to Harry Johnson. The first version, titled "Black Thorn" appeared in his 1900 edition of Harry Johnson's Bartender's Manual. His recipe included a 1:1 ratio of sweet vermouth to Irish Whisky, with dashes of Boker's Bitters and Absinthe. [8]
Robert Vermeire's 1922 version was widely copied by others writing cocktail books around the same time. He removed the space between the words "black" and "thorn," thrusting the whiskey version into opposition to the sloe gin cocktail. About the drink, he wrote "The Blackthorn is a very old cocktail, which is made in two different ways," attributing it to Harry Johnson of New Orleans. [9] Owing to the identical spelling, The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930) relegated the sloe gin version to "Blackthorne No. 2" while including Irish whisky in their "Blackthorne" recipe. [10]
The choice of whiskey varied a bit across published versions. Trader Vic's Bartender's Manual from 1948 specifies the main spirit as in the original as "irish". [11] In 100 Cocktails and How To Mix Them by "Bernard" published in the 1960s, two versions include Scotch whisky. [12]
The whisky version is often attributed to New Orleans; however, its omission in cocktail books such as Famous New Orleans Drinks and How To Mix'em (1938) [13] suggests that the cocktail was not well associated with the city at the time. The exact date of origin is uncertain; however, the absence of the cocktail from Johnson's earlier books leads to a likely 1890's origin. [14]
The whisky Blackthorn fell out of fashion during the second half of the 20th century until Gary Regan featured it in his 2003 book The Joy of Mixology. [15] His reinterpretation brought the cocktail back to modern audiences by adapting it for modern palates. [16]
The Red Thorn is a variation on the whiskey version of the Blackthorn by Takumi Watanabe. It's made with Irish whiskey, dry vermouth, raspberry syrup, lemon juice, green chartreuse, and absinthe. The recipe of the drink was recorded in Jared Brown & Anistatia Miller‘s The Deans of Drink and Gary Regan's 101 Best New Cocktails, Volume III. [17] [18]
A Manhattan is a cocktail made with whiskey, sweet vermouth, and bitters. While rye is the traditional whiskey of choice, other commonly used whiskies include Canadian whisky, bourbon, blended whiskey, and Tennessee whiskey. The cocktail is usually stirred then strained into a cocktail glass and garnished traditionally with a maraschino cherry. A Manhattan may also be served on the rocks in a lowball glass.
The old fashioned is a cocktail made by muddling sugar with bitters and water, adding whiskey, and garnishing with an orange slice or zest and a cocktail cherry. It is traditionally served with ice in an old fashioned glass.
French 75 is a cocktail made from gin, champagne, lemon juice, and sugar. It is also called a 75 Cocktail, or in French simply a Soixante Quinze.
The martini is a cocktail made with gin and vermouth, and garnished with an olive or a lemon twist. Over the years, the martini has become one of the best-known mixed alcoholic beverages. A popular variation, the vodka martini, uses vodka instead of gin for the cocktail's base spirit.
A Negroni is an Italian cocktail, made of one part gin, one part vermouth rosso and one part Campari, garnished with orange peel. It is considered an apéritif.
A sour is a traditional family of mixed drinks. Sours belong to one of the old families of original cocktails and are described by Jerry Thomas in his 1862 book How to Mix Drinks.
Centerbe[ˌtʃɛnˈtɛrbe] or Centerba, is a liqueur made by aromatic herbs commonly found on Mount Majella. It is a typical abruzzese liquor in central Italy and it's made on a base of 70% alcohol. The liqueur comes in two strengths: strong and mild. The strong centerba is widely used as digestif after-meals and has antiseptic properties. It was originally manufactured by Beniamino Toro in Tocco da Casauria in 1817.
The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks is a book about cocktails by David A. Embury, first published in 1948. The book is noteworthy for its witty, highly opinionated and conversational tone, as well as its categorization of cocktails into two main types: aromatic and sour; its categorization of ingredients into three categories: the base, modifying agents, and special flavorings and coloring agents; and its 1:2:8 ratio for sour type cocktails.
A "fizz" is a mixed drink variation on the older sours family of cocktail. Its defining features are an acidic juice and carbonated water. It typically includes gin or rum as its alcoholic ingredient.
The Pegu Club or the Pegu is a gin-based cocktail that was the signature drink of Burma's Pegu Club. Located just outside Rangoon, the club was named after the Pegu, a Burmese river, and its members were those Britons who were senior government and military officials and prominent businessmen.
The Bobby Burns is a whisky cocktail composed of scotch, vermouth and Bénédictine liqueur. It is served in a 4.5 US fl oz cocktail glass.
A Clover Club cocktail is a shaken cocktail consisting of gin, lemon juice, raspberry syrup, and egg white. The egg white acts as an emulsifier, forming the drink's characteristic foamy head.
The Casino is an IBA official cocktail made with gin, maraschino liqueur, orange bitters and fresh lemon juice.
Boker's Bitters was a brand of bitters manufactured by the L. J. Funke Company of New York City. The ingredient is specified in nearly every cocktail that called for bitters in Jerry Thomas' 1862 book, How to Mix Drinks or The Bon Vivant's Companion. Among the ingredients were cassia, cardamom, and bitter orange peel.
A Boomerang cocktail is a specific cocktail dating back to the early 20th century. In the 21st century, it may also be a reference to cocktails that bartenders illegally shuttle back and forth between bars as a way of sharing experimentation or building comradery.
The Martinez is a classic cocktail that is widely regarded as the direct precursor to the Martini. It serves as the basis for many modern cocktails, and several different versions of the original exist. These are generally distinguished by the accompaniment of either Maraschino or Curacao, as well as differences in gin or bitters.
A whiskey cocktail is a cocktail that includes whiskey. Although whiskey is often served neat or on the rocks, it is used in many classic cocktails such as the Old Fashioned, Manhattan, and Julep. Some specifically call for Scotch whisky or bourbon whiskey.
Arsenic and Old Lace is a classic cocktail with its origins in the 1910's made with gin, crème de violette, dry vermouth and absinthe.