It’s Friday! Let’s celebrate it with a vintage drink!
This week we are making the Queen Elizabeth Cocktail from the 1943 edition of The Joy of Cooking. Tom was interested in it because it is yet another cocktail with Benedictine.
Queen Elizabeth Cocktail
Author:
Ingredients
- 1/2 part dry vermouth
- 1/4 part benedictine
- 1/4 part lime juice
Instructions
- Stir – do not shake – and serve
I thought it was interesting that this is the opposite of a James Bond martini – this cocktail needs to be stirred and not shaken!
“How is it?”
“Pretty good. I like the lime.”
The Verdict: Good
From the Tasting Notes:
The lime in the cocktail matches well with the Benedictine. The vermouth was barely detectable, but the sweetness of the Benedictine complimented the lime flavor.
Historical note: the date of the recipe being 1943, the Queen Elizabeth after which the drink is named is Queen Elizabeth, the consort of King George VI and the late mother of the current Queen. My guess is that the inclusion of such a royal reference in the all-American “Joy of Cooking” in 1943 has to do with the emphasis on Anglo-American cooperation during the war. King George and Queen Elizabeth had visited the U.S. on a goodwill tour in 1939, a first ever for the monarchy, and they were extraordinarily popular. Their visit included a picnic with the Roosevelts at Hyde Park, where they famously ate what was to them a very strange American food: hot dogs!
Tried this last night and we both enjoyed it. We ended up putting it over ice and liked it even better. Thanks for sharing these great cocktail recipes!
There’s a documentary called “Monarchy” about the current Queen and “the firm” or her family. In one of the episodes, a bartender at the palace shows how to make the Queen’s favorite cocktail. It’s Dubonnet, gin, three perfect ice cubes, and one slice of lemon. I’ve tried to make it a couple of times, but never seem to get the proportions quite right.
Re the Dubonnet/gin cocktail, did you try this recipe? http://theframedtable.com/2013/08/gin-dubonnet-cocktail/