Alice, Mine Cocktail
1/2 Italian Vermouth. (Generous 1 oz Italian Vermouth)
1/2 Russians Kummel. (Generous 1 oz Norwegian Aquavit, Dash Simple Syrup)
2 Dashes Scotch Whisky. (teaspoon Scotch Whisky)
Shake (Stir, please!) well and strain into cocktail glass.
Not having Kummel, a caraway liqueur, I cheated here and substituted Aquavit, a caraway flavored spirit.
It is all a bit confusing, in that there are about 3 cocktails with this same name and different ingredients. Sometimes the recipe is the exact same thing as the preceding Alfonso Special and sometimes it is just a Scotch Manhattan.
This version of the Alice, Mine Cocktail is actually surprisingly tasty.
There aren’t many Scotch cocktails, and it’s a shame this one isn’t known more.
The comma in the name of the cocktail puzzles me, otherwise I would say it might be named after the famous “Alice Mine” near Butte Montana and the part it played in the Silver rush of the 1870s.
This post is one in a series documenting my ongoing effort to make all of the cocktails in the Savoy Cocktail Book, starting at the first, Abbey, and ending at the last, Zed.
Gary Regan has a cocktail called the Mardee Mine, which I always presumed was a variation. Not knowing what’s in it, off the top of my addled head, I can’t say for sure.
We have a full bottle of Kummel, and you’re welcome to take a small (or large) stash of it the next time we’re getting together. We only have one drink in the repertoire that calls for it — the Currier: http://marriedwithdinner.com/2006/08/18/drink-of-the-week-currier/
I guess I should have written that differently.
I should have said, “Not having Kummel, a caraway flavored liqueur, at the time, I cheated and used sweetened Aquavit, a caraway flavored spirit. I’ve since acquired a bottle of Kaiser Kummel and discovered I prefer the slightly sweetened Aquavit in almost every application to the Kummel. Your mileage may vary.”