Monkey Gland
Gin, orange, absinthe whisper.
Equal parts gin and orange juice, coloured by grenadine and threaded with the aniseed note of absinthe. A classic of 1920s Paris, fruity yet more complex than its colour suggests.
- IBA · The Unforgettables
- Aperitif
- Shaken
- Glass
- Cocktail glass
- Method
- Shaken
- Strength
- Medium
- Time
- 3 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Ice
- No ice
Ingredients
Measures for 1 serving
-
Gin
45 ml
-
Orange juice
45 ml
-
Absinthe
15 ml
-
Grenadine
15 ml
Proportions
How to make
- Chill a cocktail glass.
- Pour the gin into the shaker.
- Add the orange juice.
- Add the absinthe.
- Add the grenadine.
- Shake well with ice.
- Strain into the chilled glass.
The story
Origins
ProbableA plausible account, without definitive proof.
The Monkey Gland is credited to Harry MacElhone of Harry's New York Bar in Paris and appears as the Monkey's Gland Cocktail in his 1922 Harry's ABC of Mixing Cocktails; the 1923 edition lists gin, orange juice, grenadine and a dash of absinthe. The name jokes about the experiments of surgeon Serge Voronoff, who in the 1920s grafted monkey testicle tissue into men, promising rejuvenation. Authorship is not entirely settled, however: a 1923 Washington Post article credits Frank Meier of the Paris Ritz, and the recipe also appears in Meier's book.
Taste profile
- Herbal
- 3 out of 5
- Citrus
- 3 out of 5
- Fruity
- 3 out of 5
- Sweet
- 2 out of 5
