This particular Mixology Monday is hosted by Dinah at bibulo.us with the theme “19th Century Cocktails” and, I’ll admit, it was a bit of a daunting task trying to find something that was both eligible AND looked tasty. I tend not to go in for trying 20 things in the interest of curiosity. I’d rather find five cocktails that look divine and four end up earning time in the pantheon of cocktailnerd’s regular rotation than go through 20 as an academic exercise and come out wishing I’d just gone ahead and made another Dead Reckoning instead of feeling like I need to brush my teeth long and vigorously…like 20 times in a row. That being said, after a disastrous Morning Glory Fizz (from Harry Johnson’s Bartender’s Manual), with which I was sorely disappointed and will try again, Joana stumbled upon the Hendrick Cocktail and it hit exactly the right notes emphasizing how bitters, a slight touch of sweet, and slight touches of absinthe and citrus can be used to create a simple drink that invokes the style and tastes of the era. The Hendrick Cocktail also provides me a specious excuse to run through my new bourbons¹ for comparison.

Hendrick Cocktail²

• 2 dashes syrup
• 2 dashes bitters (used Angostura)
• 1 dash absinthe (used Mata Hari)
• 1 jigger old Kentucky bourbon³
• 1 slice of lemon

Fill an old fashioned toddy glass 2/3’s full with ice. Stir, and serve in the same glass without straining.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a total bourbon bomb but it hits a peak after about 5 minutes of sitting that is divine. Joana, upon tasting it, noted, “It’s somewhere between an Old-fashioned and a Sazerac,” and that’s a pretty fair assessment of its charms. However, if you let it sit for more than 10 minutes it starts to deteriorate rapidly, so be mindful of your progress and take heart.

The bitters are really forward in this and their spiciness calls for a sweeter bourbon such as Woodford Reserve. Blanton’s also worked wonderfully. I was tempted to add more absinthe to the drink but in retrospect am glad I didn’t as I can see it easily reaching a tipping point that masks any of the light citrus and may conflict with the bitters too much.

A note on the absinthe: I used Mata Hari because its profile, less fully anise than most, seemed better suited alongside the bitters. As Darcy used it in the Green Swizzle, I see it being used here. And, yes, there’s an ad over there and it makes a really awful absinthe frappe, but I think it suits this drink very nicely.

1. Knob Creek, Blanton’s, Bulleit, Eagle Rare, Booker’s [↩]
2. From Christopher Lawlor’s “Mixicologist” [↩]
3. 2 ounces [↩]