The rediscovery of a 1917 mixing guide amid the family ephemera has made for fun reading these past few weeks. And it’s greatly expanded my understanding of early 20th century, pre-prohibition cocktails.
Particularly prevalent are recipes that call for Old Tom gin, a spirit that was the standard gin flavor from the latter part of the 19th century into the first couple of decades of the 20th. Apparently, it was less botanical than today’s familiar gin taste profile, and a wee bit sweet(ish). Sadly, it was all but replaced by the end of Prohibition by what is commonly known as ‘dry’ gin.
Indeed, in our Caulkins’ 1933 Mixing Master Manuscript, there are 122 dry gin cocktails vs. just 18 recipes that call for Old Tom. Down but not out, Old Tom’s comeback coincided with the resurgence in popularity of vintage, pre-Prohibition cocktails in the early 2000’s.
I’m all about the underdog, so let’s dive into one of Caulkin’s rare Old Tom recipes.
Ingredients:
- 1 jigger OLD TOM GIN
- ½ pony GRENADINE
- 1 pony FRESH ORANGE JUICE
- CRACKED ICE
In a mixing glass combine ice, orange juice, grenadine and Old Tom. Shake. Serve in a chilled cocktail glass.
Notes:
This is a charmer. I went with the popular Hayman’s Old Tom for this cocktail. Mellow, very slightly sweet with a hint of juniper and citrus — interestingly, I also caught nutmeg and cinnamon flavors in there. A friend declared it mildly “gingerbready” and I wouldn’t disagree. The fresh squeezed orange juice layers on some more citrus-y goodness and the sweet/tart grenadine makes for a lip smacking finish.
We’ll definitely be inviting our Old friend Tom over for cocktails again. And again.