Mixology Monday - Prohibition/Repeal Day

This is our first attempt at writing for Mixology Monday, so please bear with us. This month it is hosted by Jeffrey Morgenthaler, who set us off reading and writing about a pre prohibition cocktail, a repeal day story, and then challenged us to create our own Prohibition inspired cocktail. So here's what we came up with..........

Prohibition Inspired Cocktail

Our cocktail was inspired by the people that despite the prohibition still found a way to enjoy a little drink. We took the classic sweet martini and solidified it! Perfect for a picnic in the park enjoying some ‘jelly’!

So to make a (whatever we’re going to call our cocktail) here’s what you need to do:

You will need…
1 1/2 oz Gin
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth
Maraschino cherries
A leaf of gelatin
Dash orange bitters (v.difficult to get in Exeter – we ended up buying a shot of it from a bar for £1 – they thought we were very strange, thus won’t be drinking there for a while.)



• Soak the gelatin leaf in cold water for 4 minutes.
• Stir Gin, Sweet Vermouth and orange bitters with ice
• Strain into a pan and gently heat
• Remove the gelatin from the water and squeeze out any excess liquid.
• Add to the pan and stir until it’s dissolved
• Add maraschino cherries to a mould/pot and pour in the liquid
• Place in the fridge until solid (about 2hours)

- Emma

The Ramos Gin Fizz - With a side of muscle ache and chilblains

Henry Ramos created the Ramos Gin Fizz in 1888, at Meyer’s Restaurant in New Orleans. During the Mardi Gras, this drink was reportedly so popular that Ramos employed 35 ‘shaker boys’ to shake it to perfection. Once one became too tired the shaker was passed to the next, and so on – each drink was shaken for 12 minutes on average.

Admittedly, this is the first cocktail we’ve made (or drank for that matter) which contains egg whites – and were a bit apprehensive. We tried to keep as closely as I could to the original recipe and used:
- 2oz Bombay Sapphire gin
- 0.5oz fresh lime juice
- 0.5oz fresh lemon juice
- 1.25oz simple syrup
- 1.5oz heavy cream
- 1 egg white
- 2-3 drops orange blossom water
- Topped with soda water

Most recipes found in modern cocktail books call for the use of a blender – but in keeping with the values of the pre-prohibition bartenders, we (stupidly) decided to shake the gin fizz for 12 minutes (in truth, we each lasted no more than 2 minutes before passing it on)

Despite the pain, this produced was a delicious and beautifully smooth drink, with a fluffy head, somewhat reminiscent of cream soda (my favourite as a child) – and that fact that it took about 15 minutes to make made it taste so much better. Perhaps not one to put on our cocktail menu at the club (I don’t think many customers would pay for a drink which took 15 minutes), but certainly one for special occasions.

- Alex