A.B.C.
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 21.2% ABV ∙
The A.B.C. is a shaken port-and-brandy cocktail. Fresh mint opens cool and bright, tawny port brings raisined sweetness, and the cognac and maraschino settle into a rounded, dessert-like finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: Fresh mint leaves 7 pcsTawny port 30 mlCognac 30 mlMaraschino liqueur 10 mlSugar syrup 5 ml
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Garnish with a lemon twist and a maraschino cherry on a skewer
Tips
- Whip the mint leaves with the sugar syrup first for a few seconds before adding the other liquids, then strain hard to avoid muddy, torn-leaf texture.
- Shake all ingredients hard with plenty of ice for about 12-15 seconds to properly dilute and chill this spirit-forward, port-and-cognac base before double straining.
- Fine-strain through a tea strainer into the chilled coupe to catch mint fragments, since a rough strain ruins the drink's clarity.
- Express the lemon twist's oils over the surface before dropping it in, then add the maraschino cherry to balance the maraschino liqueur's sweetness.
History
The A.B.C. Cocktail traces to a recipe first printed in the 1935 edition of Bar La Florida Cocktails, the house recipe booklet of the Havana bar La Florida (later famed as El Floridita), where it combined port, cognac, and maraschino. Sources note this port-and-cognac version, the one that endured into modern reference, is distinct from an earlier, quite different drink also called A.B.C. that appeared in the 1929 French book Cocktails de Paris, presented by RIP. No individual bartender is credited as the creator of either version, and the initials are not explained in the surviving sources.
FAQ
What is an A.B.C. cocktail?
It is a shaken cocktail made from tawny port, cognac, maraschino liqueur, sugar syrup, and fresh mint, strained up into a coupe glass with a lemon twist and a maraschino cherry. The name here is unrelated to the well-known A.B.C. party shot made of Absolut, Bacardi, and Cointreau; this is a different, port-and-brandy sipping drink lifted with fresh mint.
What is the A.B.C. drink made of?
This version is made of tawny port and cognac as its base, with maraschino liqueur, a touch of sugar syrup, and fresh mint leaves shaken together and fine-strained into a coupe. It is finished with a lemon twist and a maraschino cherry.
Is an A.B.C. shaken or stirred?
Shaken. The mint and sugar syrup need the aeration and quick chill of a hard shake to release the mint's oils and blend the syrup evenly, which stirring would not achieve.
What glass is an A.B.C. served in?
A coupe glass, served up after fine-straining, garnished with a lemon twist and a maraschino cherry.
What does ABC stand for in a shot?
In the well-known party shot, A.B.C. stands for Absolut, Bacardi, and Cointreau, three spirits shaken or layered together. That drink is a different, unrelated recipe from this shaken port-and-cognac cocktail, which shares only the name.
