RECIPE: Dewey Highball

Sticking with our new “old” friend, Old Tom gin, today we are going to dip into Didier’s mixing guide. Dim bulb that I am, I only recently noticed that 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of its publication.

2017 also marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Navy Admiral George Dewey. He is now best remembered for commanding U.S. forces against the Spanish Fleet during the Battle of Manila Bay. His famous remark, “You may fire when you are ready, Gridley” to Naval Captain Charles Gridley, entered the American lexicon soon after.

Ingredients:

• ½ wineglass TOM GIN
• 1 pony VERMOUTH
• 2 dashes ORANGE BITTERS
• 1 piece of ICE
• SYPHON SELTZER

In a highball glass, combine ice, gin, vermouth and bitters.  Fill glass with seltzer and serve.

Notes:

I don’t have any highball glasses (I know, I know. Shame on me) but a rocks glass holding similar volume seemed to do the trick.

Didier uses a slightly different (more arcane) measuring system than Caulkins’ Mixing Master. Here, a “wineglass” is equal to a jigger. It is also sometimes referred to as a “drink” in both Didier and Caulkins’ recipes. In Caulkins’ 1933 guide, a jigger = 2 ounces, so I went with that as the basis for measurement; since presumably Caulkins would have based his recipes on those he had learned in the previous decades. Nowadays, a jigger is generally understood to be 1.5 oz.

“Syphon Seltzer” merely refers to soda water served from what we today know as an old fashion seltzer bottle — a glass container with a valve closure to keep the soda water inside from going flat.

Didier doesn’t specify what type vermouth; I had sweet (italian) on hand. Since Old Tom is also sweet(ish) I’d probably have been better off using a dry vermouth, but the combo of the two really wasn’t overpowering. The orange bitters provide a slight tang, and the seltzer brightens it all up. With the ice cube keeping things nice and cool, this is a refreshing, light drink. Perfect for a summer evening with friends. Or Gridley.