Episode 24: Monkey Gland

  • 2 oz London dry gin

  • 1 oz fresh orange juice

  • .5 oz real grenadine

  • Dash of Absinthe

  • Orange twist

Add the gin, orange juice, & grenadine to a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice. Shake until frosty. Add a dash of Absinthe to a chilled coupe or martini glass, and swirl around the glass to “rinse” the glass with the absinthe. Strain the cocktail into the absinthe rinsed glass and garnish with an orange twist.

*notes: The original recipe for the Monkey Gland called for equal parts (1.5 oz each) gin and orange juice, but most modern bartenders prefer this updated version.

The quality of the grenadine you use makes a difference. Real grenadine should have pomegranate juice in the ingredients. If not, don’t use it. You can find it online easily or make your own.

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The Monkey gland was invented sometime at the end of the 1910s and became popular during the Prohibition era.

The name of the drink references a Russian-born French surgeon named Dr. Sergei Voronoff who thought that the sex glands of living organisms held the key to health, vigor, and longevity. During the 1910s and 20s, he performed expensive surgeries to graft the testicles of monkeys onto his patients, promising “a life span of 125 years and an old age of a few months.” His work became world famous, and by 1927 Voronoff had done more than 1,000 procedures on his wealthy patients. In reality, his work did absolutely nothing, and he was finally discredited by the 1940s.

Nevertheless, at the end of the 1910s he and his work were a pop culture phenomenon and the Monkey Gland was invented in either Paris or London in tribute. In 1919, a New York Times story carried the headline, “MONKEY GLAND’ LATEST COCKTAIL”, and it wasn’t long before it became a hit in the United States as well. Beyond Voronoff’s mad scientist reputation, the cocktail may have also become such a hit because it contained a small dash of absinthe, which was banned in much of Europe as well as the U.S. because of it’s supposed (but now debunked) hallucinogenic properties. Many bars still had a few bottles of absinthe left after the ban, and the Monkey Gland used so little that they could make it stretch while still giving the cocktail a forbidden and exciting feeling.

No matter the reason, this gussied up gin and juice is surprisingly delicious!

Episode 23: Ramos Gin Fizz

  • 1 egg white

  • 2 oz. Old Tom gin

  • 2 to 3 tsp powdered sugar (to taste)

  • ½ oz. lemon juice

  • ½ oz. lime juice

  • 3-4 drops orange blossom water (plus more for garnish)

  • 1 oz. heavy cream

  • 3 drops real vanilla extract (optional garnish)

  • Orange twist garnish (optional) 

1.    Place egg white in the bottom of a cocktail shaker tin. Add gin, sugar, lemon & lime juices, & orange blossom water. Shake vigorously for at least two minutes. (This is a DRY shake, do not add ice yet or it will melt and water down the drink.)

2.    Add heavy cream and plenty of ice. Shake for about 15 seconds more, or until the drink feels icy cold in your hands.

3.    Add about 1 ½ oz soda water to the bottom of an 8-10 oz collins glass. Slowly strain the cocktail into the glass. You want the glass to be full, but you don’t want the foam to come over the top of the glass.

4.    Allow the cocktail to sit for at least one minute, then stick a straw through the center of your cocktail and gently push it all the way to the bottom of the glass a few times to make a hole for more soda. Remove the straw and slowly add a thin stream of soda water until the meringue foam rises about an inch or two above the glass.

5.    Garnish with another drop or two of orange blossom water, 3 drops of vanilla extract, and an orange twist.

6.    Add a fresh straw to the center of the drink just before serving.

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The Ramos Gin Fizz was created in 1888 by Henry Charles Ramos at the Imperial Cabinet Saloon in New Orleans. It was an instant hit, and before long the bar was often filled with 20 bartenders and "shaker boys" dedicated to making Ramos Gin Fizzes.

In his Famous New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix 'Em, Stanley Clisby Arthur writes, "the corps of busy shaker boys behind the bar was one of the sights of the town during Carnival, and in the 1915 Mardi Gras, 35 shaker boys nearly shook their arms off, but were still unable to keep up with the demand."

It’s no wonder it was so hard to keep up with demand, as the original instructions say that you’re supposed to shake the cocktail for 12 entire minutes to the get the foam right. Thankfully modern bartenders have found a much more efficient way to froth the egg whites in only 2 minutes. The instructions are still a bit complicated and time consuming, but this cocktail is so delicious you’ll be glad you made the effort. The end result is rich and creamy but oddly light at the same time. The flavor is almost like an orange creamsicle all grown up.

Most modern recipes call for simple syrup, but the original used powdered sugar so that’s what we went with. The addition of vanilla extract is a bit controversial. Some say it was Ramos’ secret ingredient, while others insist that he never used it. I think it adds something though, but you’re free to leave it out.

This cocktail also sometimes known as the New Orleans Fizz, and fun fact, Huey P. Long was said to have been a big fan. Some people think of it as a morning drink because the cream and egg white fill and line your stomach while the gin is a bit of the hair of the dog.

Episode 9 - The Bee's Knees

  • 2 oz Gin

  • 3⁄4 oz Fresh lemon juice

  • 3⁄4 oz Honey syrup*

  • Lemon twist for garnish (optional)

Combine gin, lemon juice, and honey syrup together in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice. Shake until frosty and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon twist if desired.

*To make honey syrup, combine 2 parts honey and 1 part hot water and stir or shake to combine.

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Interesting fact: The bee’s knees was likely invented during prohibition, with the strong flavors of honey and lemon juice meant to mask the flavor of poor quality bathtub gin.
At the time of the cocktail’s creation, the term “Bee’s Knees” meant something was great, or the best. Oddly enough, long before the phrase took on that meaning, it once meant something very very small, as in the size of a bee’s knee.