After a December to remember, I am sure you have all been
missing your bi-daily dive into the library of liquor. Fear not, I have something to tide you over
for the next few days. The Harvard
cocktail just invokes images of 1960’s frat boys sitting around in sport coats,
smoking cigarettes, and playing poker.
They no doubt needed a cocktail and this one fits the bill just fine.
Dating back to 1895, this drink definitely makes up for what it lacks in
popularity with longevity. It’s
true origin, other than the year it first came to print, has been lost to
history so we are left to our own imagination. Having
similarities to the Manhattan, it is quite possible that this made its debut on
the Harvard campus during a party when a partially inebriated bartender got a
little creative with a drink order.
In a shaker combine one and a half ounces of cognac,
three-quarters of an ounce sweet vermouth, one-quarter ounce lemon juice, a
teaspoon of grenadine, and three dashes angostura bitters. Fill with ice and shake. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass and
garnish with a lemon twist. A variation
on this drink omits the grenadine and adds an ounce of soda water to the top
after straining into the glass. I prefer
the grenadine version, but if there is one time in your life to experiment, it’s
college.
Harvard Cocktail
1 ½ oz cognac
¾ oz sweet vermouth
¼ oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp grenadine
3 dashes bitters
Mix all ingredients in an ice filled shaker. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.
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