Gin and It

Gin and vermouth, Italian-style.

Dry gin and sweet red vermouth stirred and served cold: the name shortens "Gin and Italian", a nod to sweet Piedmontese vermouth. Smooth, spiced and gently bitter, it was a staple of twentieth-century English pubs.

Aperitif
Stirred

Glass: Cocktail glass
Method: Stirred
Strength: Strong
Time: 2 min
Difficulty: Easy
Ice: No ice

Ingredients

Servings 1

Gin 45 ml
Sweet red vermouth 45 ml
Orange bitters (optional) 1 dash

Garnish

Orange twist

Proportions

How to make

Chill a cocktail glass.
Fill a mixing glass with ice.
Pour the gin.
Pour the sweet red vermouth.
Add a dash of orange bitters, if desired.
Stir until well chilled.
Strain into the chilled glass.
Express the orange zest and garnish.

The story

Origins

DocumentedOrigin attested by written sources of the time.

The Gin and It descends from the sweet Martini of the nineteenth century. According to Dale DeGroff, writing in 2002, in the 1880s and 1890s gin and Italian vermouth were ordered at the Hoffman House and other Manhattan bars as a Sweet Martini; the drink later became the "Gin and Italian", shortened to "Gin and It" during Prohibition. The "It" stands for Italy, home of sweet red vermouth, as opposed to dry "French" vermouth. The earliest printed use of the name Gin & It cited by sources is in Frank Meier's The Artistry of Mixing Drinks (1936). It became a London pub staple and appeared on the IBA lists of 1961, 1987 and 1993 before being dropped.

Sources (5)

Difford's Guide — Gin & It (opens in a new tab) recipe and history
DrinkBoston — Gin and It (citing DeGroff's recipe) (opens in a new tab) recipe and history
Cigar Aficionado — Gin 'n' It (opens in a new tab) recipe and history
Wikipedia — List of IBA official cocktails (historical lists) (opens in a new tab) recipe
IBA — All cocktails (current list, pages 1-6 checked) (opens in a new tab) recipe

Taste profile

Strong: 4 out of 5
Sweet: 3 out of 5
Herbal: 3 out of 5
Bitter: 1 out of 5