Princeton
Recipe:
- 60ml Old Tom gin
- 15ml tawny port
- 5ml simple syrup
- 3 dashes orange bitters
Stir everything on ice until sufficiently chilled, strain into a prechilled cocktail glass, garnish with an orange zest.
A wonderfully simple yet aromatically well-balanced forgotten classic, though the "classic" in it is certainly debatable, and to what extent it has ever been widely available. At least common enough to list it in Kappeler's well-known "Modern American Drinks," where it was first mentioned. Here the port was still layered at the bottom, which I definitely wouldn't advise, just mix it all up and enjoy.
Just the right blend of spicy, fruity, dry and slightly sweet, a great sipper for almost any occasion, could be served small as an aperitif (maybe with a ruby port in that case), taken as a main drink, but depending on the tawny also make a heartier version for later in the evening, I like it best with a rather light tawny that still has fresh hints of the ruby cateogory. To use Old Tom gin specifically is relatively important, it is needed for its elegance and for the silky connection, despite the few components in the drink. The slightly sweeter subcategory of gin, rather than too herbal or intense brands, works perfectly.
Source: First mention in George J. Kappeler's "Modern American Drinks", here the port gets layered at the bottom first (would not recommend)
