Tuxedo Cocktail (Flora Bar’s recipe)
Stir ∙ 3 min ∙ 30.1% ABV ∙
The Tuxedo Cocktail is a spirit-forward Martini variation of gin, bianco vermouth and maraschino, stirred with an absinthe rinse and orange bitters.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Rinse the glass with Absinthe and discard excess
- Stir all ingredients with ice: London dry gin 60 mlBianco vermouth 15 mlMaraschino liqueur 10 mlOrange bitters 4 dashes
- Strain into the chilled glass
- Express an orange twist over the cocktail
- Garnish with an orange twist and a maraschino cherry on a skewer
Tips
- With 60 ml of gin and no juice, it needs a 25- to 30-second stir over cracked ice to take the edge off.
- Rinse the glass with the absinthe and tip out the excess; it should perfume the drink, not take it over.
History
The Tuxedo belongs to the family of gin-and-vermouth Martini variations that circulated in late-nineteenth-century American bars, and the version most bartenders make today is the Tuxedo No. 2. This particular rendering comes from Flora Bar in New York, which builds it around a heavy pour of gin with sparing measures of bianco vermouth and maraschino, an absinthe rinse, and four dashes of orange bitters. Writer Robert Simonson named the Flora Bar Tuxedo among his favorite cocktails of 2017.
FAQ
What is in a Tuxedo Cocktail?
London dry gin, bianco vermouth and maraschino liqueur, with an absinthe rinse and four dashes of orange bitters. The Flora Bar version is heavy on gin: 60 ml, against 15 ml of vermouth and 10 ml of maraschino.
Is a Tuxedo Cocktail shaken or stirred?
Stirred. It has no juice, so a 25- to 30-second stir over ice chills and dilutes it while keeping it clear and silky; shaking would cloud it.
What glass is a Tuxedo Cocktail served in?
A chilled coupe glass, served up. It is strained off the ice and garnished with an orange twist and a maraschino cherry.
What does the absinthe do in a Tuxedo Cocktail?
It adds a faint anise aroma. It is used only as a rinse, with the excess discarded, so it stays in the background.
