Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Pegu

I was going to say that at this festive time of year, I love to have a good cocktail, but truth be told, I love a good cocktail any time of the year! This drink may be better to have in the summer when you're looking to cool down, but let's fact it, most of it live lives where we are not hanging around in the scorching summer sun and need a cool-down at the end of the day. So since we are inundated with air-conditioning and don't find ourselves in a room at sunset where fans overhead are trying to tame the sweltering heat, and I just became aware of this cocktail, I tried it and am passing it along to you now - even though it's December. Don't drink one again until the middle of June if you like, but do try it immediately. Immediately means go collect what you need for the drink right this minute, make it, and sip. The worst that can happen is you'll add it to your repertoire for next summer; the best that can happen is you'll have an extra drink to enjoy between now and June. I have to pass this along to Mary because her brother Ken is quite the bartender.

I got this drink, which is called the Pegu, from Vintage Cocktails. It has an interesting history. Apparently, it was the drink of choice at a men's club called - not surprisingly - Pegu in Burma, either in Rangoon proper or the outlying town of Pegu, during the 1920's, where, I am sure, ceiling fans were actually required to cool bodies and tempers at the end of the day. Walter doesn't like it as much as I do. Maybe my new-found affection for it has to do with the fact that we are watching Jewel in the Crown these days (thanks to Netflix), and I can imagine British officers in India putting a few of these away at the end of the day. Anyway, give it a go, and see what you think. I'm interested in your opinion.


1-1/2 oz. gin (I like Plymouth)
1/2 oz. orange curacao (Pierre Ferrand is nice) or triple sec
3/4 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 dashes Angostura Bitters (I suspect that orange bitters would be perfect here, but they are much harder to find)

Put everything in a metal cocktail shaker and shake until the towel you are holding the shaker with sticks. You want this icy, icy, icy.


3 comments:

  1. Victoria-
    Perfect timing. I really really think this is going to be the non-champers option at the New Years party I'm heading to! Thanks!!

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  2. Wow, this sounds great. Thanks for the heads-up! I love gin always, but with triple-sec and lime juice... mmm. It seems worthy of my orange bitters! I'm going to keep my eyes open for triple-sec that isn't Cointreau around Montreal, but sadly, as our liquor stores are government-run, we don't always have the best selection (AND it's expensive! I always bring home so much liquor from the States).

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  3. Hanne, I found this recipe because of you when I scouted around a little after reading your post on the cocktail Eve (totally delicious) and found out that one was invented by Audrey Saunders of the Pegu Club. A toast to you.

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