Allies Cocktail

Hugo Ennslin

Sep 20

I’m raising my glass to celebrate this colorful assortment of characters and cultures in a cübe, all aligned to one purpose in coordinated harmony. The analogy is by way of introducing the cocktail toast, which is not colorful at all, in fact, but is equally allied in purpose. The drink is an old fashioned style martini, by one of the great bartenders of the era, Hugo Ensslin, who was from the era when vermouth was embraced as an equal partner by gin, rather than scorned in quiet whispers like an embarrassing relative. His creation, found in his famous Recipes for Mixed Drinks, circa 1917, brings the World War I alliance of England, France and Russia together in one glass.

England is represented here by British gin, and France by dry vermouth. The Russian ambassador is, however, the life of the party, and where things become quite interesting, contributing a dose of distinctive kümmel liqueur. Flavored with caraway, cumin and fennel, the liqueur dates back to 1503 and a knight of the Livonian Order. The spirit made its way from Scandinavia to Russia, where it was said to be a favorite of Tsar Peter I. Kümmel retains a following to this day in certain circles, as a digestive aid, or a niche elite spirit favored by golfers, and can be found in a number of fantastic cocktails. Like a recent batch of fennel liqueur, I infused my own homemade version, and so should yoü. Cheers!