Surf and Turf
Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 26.8% ABV ∙
The Surf and Turf stirs two gins with dry vermouth and Manzanilla sherry, rounded with curaçao, maraschino and a dash of absinthe. Juniper and briny sherry lead together, a citrus-tinged sweetness fills the middle, and a faint anise whisper dries out the finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Stir all ingredients with ice: London dry gin 30 mlOld Tom gin 15 mlDry vermouth 25 mlManzanilla sherry 15 mlOrange curaçao liqueur 10 mlMaraschino liqueur 5 mlSugar syrup 5 mlAbsinthe 1 dashOrange bitters 1 dash
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Garnish with a lemon twist
Tips
- Pre-chill the coupe before straining — this build has no ice in the glass, so a warm coupe undoes the stir's chill fast.
- Stir for a full 30 seconds; the mix of two gins, vermouth, and sherry needs real dilution to knit its parts together.
- Use just a dash of absinthe and orange bitters — both are meant as background accents, not competing flavors.
- Express the lemon twist over the glass before dropping it in, so the citrus oil sits on the surface of every sip.
History
Surf and Turf was created by a British drinks writer on 8 September 2014 at the Cabinet Room bar in London. It is a riff on the Turf Club Cocktail, an old gin-and-vermouth drink first printed in George Winter's 1884 manual How To Mix Drinks - Bar-Keeper's Handbook and named for one of the turf clubs, the gentlemen's societies built around horse racing, where such house cocktails were served. Later bartenders and writers, including Harry Johnson and Charles H. Baker, published their own versions of the Turf Club under variant names through the early twentieth century. This version adds Manzanilla sherry to the classic gin-vermouth base, lending a briny "surf" note to the "turf" of the original, which gives the newer drink its punning name.
FAQ
What is a Surf and Turf drink?
It is a stirred, spirit-forward cocktail built on two styles of gin, sharpened with a dash of absinthe, then fine-strained into a chilled coupe and finished with a lemon twist, landing at about 26.8% ABV.
What are the ingredients in a Surf and Turf?
London dry gin, Old Tom gin, dry vermouth, Manzanilla sherry, orange curaçao liqueur, maraschino liqueur, sugar syrup, a dash of absinthe, and a dash of orange bitters, all stirred with ice and fine-strained into a coupe with a lemon twist.
