* 1 ounce gin
* 1/2 ounce brandy
* 1/2 ounce dry vermouth
* 1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
* 1 dash orange bitters
Garnish: Lemon twist
Stir with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass
While I could not find any historical evidence, I believe this cocktail was created to honor the original Delmonico Restaurant founded in New York City in the year 1830. John and Peter Delmonico created the very first restaurant in America where people could come in for lunch or dinner and choose their meals from a “bill of fare”. This was an entirely new concept and was met with great enthusiasm.
The Delmonico family ran their restaurants in various incarnations until 1923. Prohibition was the main reason this restaurant and many others like it had to close its doors. Without the markup in liquor, the business could not turn a profit.
The Delmonico name has been resurrected by several restaurants around the country but none of them have any connection to the Delmonico family.
The cocktail itself is very smooth and a little on the sweet side. It has a pleasant golden hue. The predominant flavor comes from a blending of the brandy and sweet vermouth. The flavor of gin, dry vermouth and a hint of bitters blossom at the finish.
I enjoyed this cocktail very much. I like that it uses both dry and sweet vermouth. I feel vermouth has an undeserved bad reputation with the general drinking public. Of course, any cocktail that includes gin is an almost guaranteed winner in my book.
Try your hand at one of these and enjoy!