Monkey Gland Cocktail Recipe
Gin and orange juice pulled sharp by grenadine and a rinse of absinthe.
- Category: The Unforgettables
- Glass: Coupe glass
- ABV: 20%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
Ingredients
- Gin50 ml (1.7 oz)
- Fresh orange juice30 ml (1 oz)
- Grenadine5 ml (0.2 oz)
- Absinthe2 drop
How to Make It
- Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice.
- Shake until well chilled.
- Strain into a chilled coupe.
- Express orange zest over the surface.
Garnish
Orange zest
What it tastes like
It smells of lemon and lime peel and fruit notes come forward.
The technique
Shaking. Anything with juice, syrup, egg white or cream gets shaken: the shaker chills the drink and adds roughly 20% water, and that water is what takes the edge off. Twelve to fifteen seconds, until the tin frosts over. Under-shaking leaves the drink harsh because it never got enough dilution.
Glass and ice
A stemmed, shallow coupe. The stem keeps your hand's warmth away from the drink, and the wide bowl carries the aroma to your nose. Served without ice.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Gin
- London dry gin: juniper up front, citrus and coriander behind it. Brand really does show here — Beefeater is sharp, Hendrick's floral, Tanqueray juniper-heavy.
- Fresh orange juice
- Fresh orange juice. Carton juice is sugar-adjusted, so it sweetens the drink and drops its acidity; when you squeeze your own, pull back a little on the syrup.
- Grenadine
- Pomegranate syrup. Most supermarket bottles are dyed corn syrup with no pomegranate in them; reducing pomegranate juice with an equal weight of sugar takes ten minutes and changes the drink completely.
- Absinthe
- The anise spirit, 55-70% alcohol. In cocktails it is used as a rinse rather than a measure: most recipes have you coat the glass and pour the rest away, leaving only the aroma.
The Story
Mixed by Harry MacElhone in 1920s Paris and named, grimly, after a surgeon's fashionable rejuvenation procedure of the day.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Monkey Gland mixed?
- It is shaken and served in a coupe.
- How strong is a Monkey Gland?
- Roughly 20% ABV as served — in fortified-wine territory — plan it as a single drink.
- Can a Monkey Gland be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Monkey Gland hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.