Alaska No. 2
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 19.4% ABV ∙
The Alaska No. 2 is a shaken gin sour built on London dry gin, fresh lemon, sugar syrup, and a splash of crème de cassis. Tart lemon leads, gin's juniper bite settles in the middle, and the cassis lends a faint blackcurrant sweetness to a dry, bright finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: London dry gin 60 mlLemon juice 45 mlSugar syrup 15 mlCrème de Cassis 10 ml
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Garnish with a maraschino cherry
Tips
- Add the crème de cassis last and shake immediately, since it settles and clings to the shaker bottom if left too long, diluting the sweetness.
- Shake gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup hard with fresh ice for a full 12-15 seconds to achieve proper dilution and a cold, frothy texture before adding cassis.
- Fine-strain into a chilled coupe to remove ice shards, since the shallow glass shows any cloudiness or fragments clearly.
- Drop the crème de cassis in gently after straining and let it sink slightly for a subtle gradient before dropping in the maraschino cherry garnish.
History
Alaska No. 2 is a variation on the Alaska, a pre-Prohibition gin drink first documented in 1913 in Jacques Straub's "Manual of Mixed Drinks," which paired Old Tom gin with yellow Chartreuse and a dash of orange bitters. The cocktail resurfaced in 1930 in Harry Craddock's Savoy Cocktail Book with dry gin and no bitters, becoming the more widely known version. Its name is not tied to any documented invention in Alaska itself; writers have long guessed that the golden hue evoked the Klondike gold rush of the era, though no source confirms the reasoning behind the name. Alaska No. 2 keeps the gin base but swaps out the yellow Chartreuse in favor of crème de cassis, replacing the drink's herbal, honeyed profile with a tart, fruit-forward one.
FAQ
What are the ingredients in an Alaska cocktail?
This Alaska No. 2 is made with London dry gin, fresh lemon juice, sugar syrup, and a small amount of crème de cassis, shaken and strained into a coupe. The cassis marks it out from the original Alaska Cocktail, which is built on gin and yellow Chartreuse without any lemon or cassis.
Is an Alaska No. 2 shaken or stirred?
Shaken. The lemon juice and sugar syrup need the aeration and quick chill of a shake to blend properly; stirring would leave the drink flat and under-diluted.
What glass is an Alaska No. 2 served in?
A coupe glass, served up and garnished with a maraschino cherry.
How many calories are in an Alaska No. 2?
This recipe comes to about 223 calories per serving, at roughly 19.4% ABV. It is vegan, vegetarian, and lactose-free, since it contains no dairy or animal-derived ingredients.
How is an Alaska No. 2 different from the original Alaska cocktail?
The original Alaska Cocktail is simply gin and yellow Chartreuse, stirred and served up with no citrus. This No. 2 variation adds fresh lemon juice, sugar syrup, and crème de cassis, turning it into a shaken sour rather than a spirit-forward stirred drink.
