Huzzah! My copy of Ted Haigh’s Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails arrived today! It’s a must if you’re into cocktail history / geekery, and beautifully illustrated with vintage posters and labels. I will be working my way through it, slowly. This looked like a good one with which to start. The earliest versions of it date to the 1800s.
The Blackthorn
2 oz gin (I used Martin Miller’s)
.75 oz Dubonnet Rouge
.75 oz Kirschwasser
Stir, strain, drop a cherry in it (I used a brandied one) and hang a lemon twist off the side. Getting one of your dogs to invade just as you take the picture makes it taste better.
I have to admit that this isn’t 100% to my liking. It’s a bit spirit-forward for me (read: Whoa! That gin is beating the crap out of my palate!) Maybe some Hayman’s Old Tom would be better next time. I added a couple more cherries and a little cherry syrup, but it’s still kicking my ass. Suggestions on how this might be adjusted are welcome.