Apricot Cocktail (Dry)

Apricot Cocktail (Dry)
(6 People)
Cut 2 Apricots (1 Apricot) in half, break the stones* and let the whole soak for 2 hours in a glass and a half of Cognac (2 oz Korbel VSOP Brandy). Add two teaspoonfuls of Peach Bitters (1 tsp. Fee’s Peach Bitters), 2 glasses of Gin (2 oz Beefeater’s Gin) and 2 glasses of French Vermouth (2 oz Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth). Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. (Garnish each glass by dropping in a thin, ripe peach wedge.)

The amounts in the parenthesis are for 2 relatively modern size drinks instead of 6 tiny 1930s era drinks.

This is a pretty odd bird of a cocktail. An apricot scented Martini? I can’t think of many other fruit flavored cocktails that aren’t at least somewhat sweet. Still, all in all quite pleasant. If it’s apricot season, and you like Martinis, give it a try.

*I will note that the kernels of all members of the rose family, including apricots, contain cyanogenic glycosides which on ingestion release hydrogen cyanide. The amounts of these chemicals vary from plant to plant and species to species. Bitter almonds generally contain the most, and eating 50-70 bitter almonds in one sitting is enough to be fatal for an adult human. I would not recommend sitting down and drinking 50 Apricot cocktails at once. Fortunately, in most people, small amounts of these chemicals are rapidly broken down by their livers, and do not build up over time, so small doses are generally regarded as safe.

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.