Monkey gland (cocktail)

Last updated
Monkey Gland
IBA official cocktail
Monkey Gland (11677703163).jpg
Type Cocktail
Base spirit
Served Straight up: chilled, without ice
Standard drinkware
Cocktail Glass (Martini).svg
Cocktail glass
IBA specified
ingredients†
PreparationPour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker, shake well with ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Commonly servedAll Day
Monkey Gland recipe at International Bartenders Association

The Monkey Gland is a cocktail of gin, orange juice, grenadine and absinthe created in the 1920s by Harry MacElhone, owner of Harry's New York Bar in Paris, France. [1]

Some recipes substitute absinthe with pastis or Bénédictine. [2]

The cocktail is known for its distinctive flavor, which combines the sweetness of orange with the herbal, slightly bitter notes of absinthe, creating a complex and intriguing profile. [3]

It is named after the pseudo-scientific idea that grafting monkey testicle tissue into humans would increase longevity, the idea developed by the Russian doctor Serge Voronoff. [4]

References

  1. Chirico, Rob (2005). Field Guide to Cocktails. Quirk Productions. p. 189. ISBN   1-59474-063-1.
  2. Haigh, Ted (2009). Vintage spirits and forgotten cocktails : from the alamagoozlum to the zombie and beyond : 100 rediscovered recipes and the stories behind them (Deluxe; rev. & expanded ed.). Beverly, Mass.: Quarry Books. pp. 212–213. ISBN   9781592535613. OCLC   1023288091.
  3. Valencourt, Aurelia. "Monkey Gland". AureliaValencourt. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  4. Hirst, Christopher (October 8, 2005). "101 cocktails that shook the world #37: The Monkey Gland". Features. The Independent . p. 57.