IBA
Suffering Bastard – IBA
A refreshing and spicy cocktail ∙ Shake ∙ 3 min ∙ 11.8% ABV ∙
The Suffering Bastard – IBA is a highball of brandy, London dry gin and lime juice, shaken and topped with ginger beer in a Collins glass.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Shake the ingredients with ice: Brandy 30 mlLondon dry gin 30 mlLime juice 15 mlAngostura aromatic bitters 2 dashes (opt.)
- Pour into the collins glass or in the original bastard mug
- Top up with Ginger beer
- Garnish with a mint sprig and an orange slice (opt.)
Tips
- Shake the brandy, gin, lime juice, and the bitters if you use them; top with ginger beer in the glass so it keeps its fizz.
History
The Suffering Bastard is generally credited to bartender Joe Scialom at the Long Bar of Shepheard's Hotel in Cairo in 1942, created as a hangover remedy during the North Africa campaign of World War II, when British and Allied troops in the city feared Erwin Rommel's advancing Afrika Korps. According to one account, Scialom made the drink for himself after a rough night and originally called it the "Suffering bar-steward," a name British soldiers mangled through mispronunciation into "Suffering Bastard."
Sources diverge on the drink's identity beyond this Cairo origin. Scialom's original used brandy and gin with lime juice, bitters, and ginger beer. A separate, rum-based version associated with tiki pioneer Victor J. Bergeron (Trader Vic's) circulated under the same name, leading to two distinct recipe lineages sharing the title. The brandy-and-gin version, close to Scialom's original, is the one recognized on the IBA's official cocktail list.
FAQ
What is in a Suffering Bastard?
30 ml each of brandy and London dry gin, 15 ml lime juice and optional Angostura bitters, shaken, then topped with 80 ml ginger beer.
