Parson's Special
Velvety orange, no alcohol.
A vintage alcohol-free drink: fresh orange juice, a little grenadine and an egg yolk, shaken until creamy. The yolk adds body and a velvety texture, the grenadine a touch of colour.
- Long drink
- Shaken
- Glass
- Rocks glass
- Method
- Shaken
- Strength
- Alcohol-free
- Time
- 3 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Ice
- No ice
Ingredients
Measures for 1 serving
-
Orange juice
240 ml
-
Grenadine
2 dashes
-
Egg yolk
1
Proportions
How to make
- Fill a shaker with ice.
- Pour the fresh orange juice.
- Add the grenadine.
- Add the egg yolk.
- Shake vigorously.
- Strain into an old fashioned glass.
- Serve immediately.
The story
Origins
DocumentedOrigin attested by written sources of the time.
The Parson's Special is one of the few alcohol-free drinks in Harry Craddock's Savoy Cocktail Book, published in London in 1930, when Craddock ran the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel. The name playfully suggests a drink fit for a teetotal clergyman, but sources neither explain its origin nor say who devised it. The recipe is simple: orange juice, an egg yolk and a touch of grenadine, shaken into a creamy drink that, served in a short glass, can resemble a Brandy Alexander. According to reconstructions of historical lists, the Parson's Special appeared among the non-alcoholic drinks on the 1993 IBA list and has been absent since 2004.
Sources (6)
- The Conversation — Five non-alcoholic cocktails to take you past Dry January (opens in a new tab) recipe and history
- Cocktail Italia — Parson's Special (opens in a new tab) recipe and history
- Wikipedia — List of IBA official cocktails (historical lists) (opens in a new tab) recipe
- Gastronomico — Parson's Special (opens in a new tab) recipe
- IBA — All cocktails (current list, pages 1-6 checked) (opens in a new tab) recipe
- Eat Your Books — The Savoy Cocktail Book (publisher description) (opens in a new tab) history
Taste profile
- Fruity
- 4 out of 5
- Sweet
- 3 out of 5
- Citrus
- 3 out of 5
- Creamy
- 3 out of 5
