But you’re at least the second person lately (and I have a general sense of hearing other good things, further back) to compliment the bar there. I may have to drink and graze, hmmm….

Honestly, the first time I’ve ever been impressed at all with that cocktail.

I’ll admit I’m not over-fond of the money to value of the food there; but, I was really impressed with the cocktails and bar staff.

Yes, well: American taste in homes, cars, and standards of beauty — just to name three off the top of my head — have all undergone drastic changes in the last 80 years, as well. None of those are in line with my personal taste either, truth be told. But I agree with what (I think) you’re getting at, the sad truth is that it’s rough getting a non-sweet drink, even in the best bars.

So happy to hear you share my affection for lazy drinks and drinkable cocktails:).

Cheers!

Yes, I know you, yourself, did not use the word “Classic” explicitly, but there are those who could try to use the word…

“Perhaps that’s a bit of letting the drinker draw her own erroneous conclusions…”

This is done more than any of us realise, let others make the technical mistakes, and the others “forget” to correct them, thus perpetuating the falsehood (which can sometimes be to their advantage).

Mention should also be made of the modern American palate, which is completely out of synch with the historical palate of past recipe books. Modern American drinks seem to have almost double the quantity of sweet ingredients than they used to. And with such a distortion, flavour-wise, it makes me wonder why people bother to reference old recipes, when they clearly are not able to appreciate them, without additional drops of sweetness.

The 1934, de Fleury recipe, seems to be the recipe that most Americans go with, as the more European recipes of MacElhone and Jimmy (of Ciros) would definitely not please.

Ironic that the first Pegu I make at home will be a “new” Pegu.

I’ve become fond of a slightly different recipe. There’s a good thread on eG about this, but the clincher for me was this post by David Wondrich, where he goes over some of the historical variations. His final one is what I use, also having come to the conclusion that it’s my favorite:

2 oz gin (I usually use Tanqueray)
1/2 oz curacao (I use Grand Marnier)
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
1 dash orange bitters (I prefer Regan’s in this)
1 dash Angostura.

Try it and let us know how you think it compares to the recipe you posted!

I think you’ll see I never called Pegu a “classic”… I’d reserve that designation for a select few drinks like the Manhattan, the Old Fashioned, or a properly made Martini — just to name a few. I did say “retro” and “vintage”, which I don’t think one can reasonably dispute, given this recipe’s age. Perhaps those words have different connotations in the UK, but here in the States, they simply refer to old items of some value or charm. “Retro” implies a camp/arch sensibility, and “vintage” hints at an old aesthetic and/or time-honored pleasure.

Funny you should mention it, as I also happen to be a huge fan of the Last Word — another drink I would hesitate to call “a classic”. I don’t really have a problem with bartenders resurrecting good, old drinks, especially if it keeps them from concocting bad, new drinks.

I haven’t seen any menus calling either drink “a classic”, although two bars I have been to in recent days have cited the first-known publication dates and sources of at least some of their recipes. Perhaps that’s a bit of letting the drinker draw her own erroneous conclusions, but I prefer to see it as a lovely (and increasingly rare) case of giving credit where due, rather than leading the customer to infer that any unusal drink is a bar’s original creation.