Monkey Gland
A fresh, cheeky gin cocktail with orange juice, grenadine and a trace of anise from absinthe.
Ingredients
- Gin, a botanical gin with character, ideally40 ml
- Absinthe, to taste3 dashes
- Orange juice, freshly squeezed45 ml
- Grenadine, real pomegranate grenadine, not artificial syrup15 ml
- Orange, to garnish (optional)1 twist
Method
- Chill a coupe or fill it with iced water while you prepare the drink.
- Fill a shaker with ice and add the gin, absinthe, orange juice and grenadine.
- Shake hard for 10–15 seconds, until the shaker is ice-cold and the drink lightly frothy.
- Strain into the cold coupe.
- Express the oil from an orange twist over the drink and drop it in to garnish.
Harry MacElhone, Harry's New York Bar, Paris
About this drink
The cocktail was created in 1920s Paris by Harry MacElhone at Harry's New York Bar, the bar that also gave the world the Bloody Mary. The name refers to the eccentric Russian-born surgeon Serge Voronoff's experiments in grafting monkey glands onto humans to fight ageing, a bizarre detail that still gives the drink an edge of scandal. The balance of sweet orange, grenadine and herbal absinthe makes it far more elegant than the name suggests.
Questions and answers
What kind of drink is a Monkey Gland?
A classic of the Prohibition era with an unusual name, taken from a then-controversial rejuvenation treatment. In the glass it is gin, orange juice and grenadine with an anise trace of absinthe.
Can you leave out the absinthe in a Monkey Gland?
You can, but that anise note is a large part of what sets the Monkey Gland apart from an ordinary gin and orange. Even a small amount makes a noticeable difference.
