Not to be confused with the French 75 consisting of gin topped with champagne; this vintage 75 cocktail recipe with Armagnac and Absinthe is taken from a page in Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails Deluxe Edition written by Ted Haigh, aka Dr. Cocktail.  Dr. Cocktail’s rendition calls for Calvados inclusion, but Armagnac has been used as a rather nice substitution.

The 75 Cocktail Recipe

The 75

2 ounces Armagnac

1 ounce Gin

1/4 ounce Homemade Grenadine

Wash glass with Absinthe

Place ice in cocktail glass with approximately 1 teaspoon of Absinthe.  Set aside.  Combine remaining ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice.  Shake to blend and chill.  Swirl Pernod with ice to coat cocktail glass and discard Pernod soaked ice.  Strain contents of shaker into cocktail glass.

The original recipe calls for 1/4 ounce Absinthe rather than washing the glass with Absinthe.  However, including the full measure called for overwhelms the cocktail leaving little more than the taste of absinthe with the remaining ingredients becoming less noticeable.  In this adaptation the hint of Absinthe washed in the glass gives the aura of Pernod with slightest taste which lingers in a lovely way.  The cocktail recipe still hovers upon the sweet side, but contains a nice nutty blend with the Armagnac inclusion.

Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails Deluxe Editionby Ted Haigh would make a wonderful holiday gift for the classic cocktail lover on your gift giving list this season.  Depending upon where you purchase, this book retails for approximately $20.

All content ©2009 Cheri Loughlin, The Intoxicologist. All Rights Reserved. Chat with Cheri @Intoxicologist on Twitter and facebook.com/Intoxicologist or str8upcocktails@gmail.com