I’m increasingly noticing that the best cocktail recipes were invented in the first half of the last century. Alcohol culture, despite the harsh laws on one side of the planet and communism on the other, was really on the rise. Therefore, I present to you one of the recipes of that time – the Red Lion, dating from 1933.:
2 parts of gin
2 parts of orange liqueur
1 part orange juice
1 part lemon juice
Mix all the ingredients in a shaker with or without ice. Pour into a glass of your choice.
My notes:
The original 33-year-old recipe is a masterpiece. Modern recipes prefer to significantly reduce the amount of alcohol in a cocktail. Don’t do this, comrades! If the cocktail is too strong for you, it is better to add ice to the shaker. There is no ice in the original recipe, but at least water will not change the very taste that is achieved with the original proportions of alcohol and juice. It will make it look more faded, yes, but it won’t change it. So ice is better than changing the proportions.
The original recipe also specifically lists Grand Marnier. This is very important in the sense that Grand Marnier, being curaçao on cognac by its very nature, has very interesting and subtle notes. But on the other hand, in my opinion, the option with any other orange liqueur is quite possible. So try it boldly.
But you won’t find the gin listed in the recipe anymore – its production stopped in 2017. But the gin here is like the center of the composition, so just take your favorite, the taste of which you like the most.
Another original recipe advises decorating the edges of the glass with sugar. Personally, I support this idea – sugar will add a touch of sweetness, which is very suitable for this cocktail. But this is also a matter of taste.
So, it’s quite a free cocktail with a certain scope for creativity and variations of taste. I advise everyone.
