Savoy Special No. 1
Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 29.1% ABV ∙
The Savoy Special No. 1 is a shaken gin cocktail built on London dry gin and dry vermouth, sharpened with grenadine and a dash of absinthe. Cold and silky with a crisp, faintly herbal edge, the finish turns lightly sweet before a whisper of anise lingers alongside bright lemon oils.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake all ingredients with ice: London dry gin 60 mlDry vermouth 30 mlGrenadine syrup 5 mlAbsinthe 1 dash
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Express a lemon twist over the cocktail and use as garnish
Tips
- Use just one dash of absinthe — it's meant to season the drink, not dominate it; too much overwhelms the gin.
- Pre-chill the martini glass before straining so the drink doesn't lose its temperature on contact.
- Fine-strain after shaking to keep any ice shards out, since the drink is served up with no ice in the glass.
- Express the lemon twist directly over the surface before dropping it in — the oils carry more aroma than the peel alone.
History
The Savoy Special No. 1 first appeared in print in Harry Craddock's The Savoy Cocktail Book, published in 1930 by Constable & Company. Craddock, an American-born bartender who had crossed the Atlantic in 1920 and taken charge of the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London, compiled the book from recipes gathered during his years behind the bar, and this shaken gin, dry vermouth, grenadine, and absinthe combination was one of the roughly 750 drinks he included under the Savoy name.
The recipe carries a tongue-in-cheek footnote crediting "Peter, ninth Earl of Savoy" for supposedly bringing dozens of wealthy young women to England as wards and marrying them off to English nobles, offered as a whimsical, not literal, explanation tied to the hotel's namesake. The real Peter of Savoy was a 13th-century nobleman who received land on the Strand from King Henry III and built Savoy Palace there in the 1260s, and it is this estate's name that later passed to the Savoy Theatre and the Savoy Hotel, where Craddock's bar and book took their name.
FAQ
Is The Savoy Cocktail Book still in print?
Yes, The Savoy Cocktail Book remains in print and has been reissued in multiple editions since its original 1930 publication. It continues to be sold as both a historical reference and a working recipe guide for bartenders.
What is the original Savoy cocktail book?
The Savoy Cocktail Book is a cocktail recipe collection first published in 1930, compiled by Harry Craddock, head bartender at the Savoy Hotel's American Bar in London. It became one of the most influential cocktail references of the 20th century and is the source for many drinks named after the hotel, including the Savoy Special No. 1.
