Yesterday was Mo's birthday and, to celebrate, we chose a cocktail for this week that honors female bartenders everywhere. Ada Coleman was the bad babe behind the American Bar at The Savoy Hotel in London during Prohibition here in the USA. She is best known for her signature cocktail, the Hanky Panky, which incorporates equal parts gin and sweet vermouth, with a couple dashes of Fernet-Branca. Our ode to her, which we just went ahead and dubbed the Ada Coleman, is a play on that recipe.
If you're not typically a gin drinker, I'll still encourage you to give this one a try. It's incredibly balanced, and weighs less on the overtly herbaceous side, which could be expected from a London Dry gin cocktail. The use of Ransom's Old Tom gin here creates a softer and velvetier libation.
The addition of Cappelletti Amaro Sfumato lends smoky and earthy notes. It's a rhubarb-based amaro, which pairs perfectly with the wine barrel-aged Ransom Old Tom gin and balances the drink out with subtle sweetness.
This drink reminds me of all the classy parts of sitting at a bar and enjoying a classic, stirred cocktail. It's so great for the holidays, and would pair perfectly with appetizers to loosen up all that Thanksgiving prep tension. Here's my advice to you: Mix up a few of these by 11 am for you and your guests. Invite them to participate with you in the kitchen--whether it's picking the leaves off the parsley stems or buttering the pie pans or basting the turkey. They want to help, and you want the company. Use this time to encourage conversation and community. Signing off until after the holiday... Happy Thanksgiving, friends!
Ode to Ada Coleman
Ingredients:
1 Oz Ransom Old Tom Gin
1 Oz Sweet vermouth (Mo and I love Cocchi brand)
2 Dashes Cappelletti Amaro Sfumato
2 Drops citrus bitters
Directions:
Add a good amount of ice to a cocktail pitcher like this one, which is very similar to the one Mo and I use. Add in all of the cocktail components listed above and stir 30-40 times with a bar spoon. Strain into a 4 oz cocktail glass. Enjoy!
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