Think back to the Remember the Maine post. The PDT Cocktail book had a side note on the history of the cocktail, that came from Charles H. Baker and his book “The Gentleman’s Companion: Being an Exotic Drinking Book. Or, Around the World with Jigger, Beaker, and Flask”.  When organizing my cocktail books looking for inspiration for this column, I discovered I already owned his book. Taking this as I sign, I started reading through it, hoping to find this week’s libation.

The author, Charles Baker was the 1920s version of Anthony Bourdain. He traveled the world, collecting recipes (both food and drink). He put his adventures and recipes into this aforementioned book. This book is filled with unusual cocktails, and their origins. Baker’s stories are highly amusing, and trust me, this certainly won’t be the only time we consult Mr. Baker and his worldly  pursuits. This week, we’re having the Turf Cocktail Number 2.

Baker says the cocktail is from the Taj Mahal Hotel on Apollo Bunder in Bombay on “Saturday, February 14th, 1931 to be exact.” The story he tells is that after a day at the races, he was in the mood for something new, apparently tired of constantly drinking scotch and sodas. A friend, G.J. Mack suggested a modified Turf Cocktail. The original Turf Cocktail recipe containing just gin, vermouth, and angostura bitters. The Turf Cocktail Mack suggested is:

1 jigger dry gin

1 pony French vermouth

1 tsp absinthe, or Pernod Veritas

1 tsp maraschino

1 dash of orange bitters

Stir in a bar glass like a Martini, and serve in a Manhattan glass, un-garnished.

After some quick googling of measurements (1 jigger is 1.5 ounces, 1 pony is 1 ounce) I was ready to mix. I substituted a bar spoon anisette for the absinthe again, and the recipe was unclear on maraschino liqueur or maraschino brine. I guessed the liqueur is was was called for and added a bar spoon of that.

This drink is strong, being that it is straight booze, but it is refreshing. I’m curious to try this again with the maraschino brine instead of the liqueur. The extra sweetness from that would cut the booziness a bit, which might make it more palatable for those looking for something not quite as aggressive.

(Banner image found here)