Wednesday, August 15, 2012

sky scraper

3/8 Booth's Dry Gin (1 1/8 oz Cascade Mountain)
1/4 Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth (3/4 oz)
1/8 Bols Curaçao (3/8 oz Pierre Ferrand)
1/8 Lemon Juice (3/8 oz)
1/8 Grenadine (3/8 oz)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. I added a lemon twist.

Two weeks ago, I decided to make the Sky Scraper, an original recipe from the Café Royal Cocktail Book. By the time the book was published in 1937, the sky scraper was not a new phenomenon. Between the introduction of Elisha Otis' safety elevator in 1852 and the perfection of steel skeleton constructions in the 1880s that could outdo standard masonry, there were plenty of sky scrapers in the 1930s across the world. At the time of publication, the world's tallest sky scraper was the Empire State Building at 1,454 feet which held the record for 40 years. Perhaps tall buildings with glorious views are plenty of reason to raise a glass and toast the modern world.
The lemon twist I added to the recipe contributed greatly to the drink's aroma and prepared the mouth for the lemon and pomegranate notes on the sip. The curaçao's orange peel notes paired with the gin on the swallow that finished with the Angostura Bitters' spice. Indeed, the Sky Scraper started with a tart sip that ended with a sweeter swallow.

1 comment:

Dagreb said...

Interesting. I always thought a Sky Scraper was a Manhattan topped with Ginger Ale. This seems better than that.

Cheers!