The Mouse’s Tale
The Mouse’s Tale Cocktail
To toast this marvelous box I am taking some poetic license with the tale of this tail. The inspiration for the cocktail pairing comes from a classic known as the “Tailspin”. I’ll quote myself for the backstory: “Harry Johnson, a legendary barman of historic significance, is cited as the inventor of the Bijou, a thoroughly modern creation at that time which first appeared in Johnson’s 1900 edition of his Bartender’s Manual. Swanky clientele who frequented the posh hotel bars of New York and Boston wanted sophisticated European flavors, and the Bijou provided with Italian vermouth and herbal Chartreuse combined with gin and a dash of orange bitters. Johnson was quite literally expanding the “color palette” of his cocktails in appearance and flavors, and created the Bijou to reflect these new tastes with three “gems”: gin for diamonds, sweet vermouth for rubies, and green Chartreuse for emeralds. He named it the Bijou, which is French for “jewel”. The drink was immensely popular at the time and might be considered the “cosmopolitan” of the day.
A nice spin on the Jabberwock cocktail
A very similar cocktail (practically identical) emerged a few decades later, named the “Tailspin”. It first appears (as far as one can tell) in the 1936 edition of Mr. Boston’s DeLuxe Official Bartender’s Guide, and was essentially the Bijou with a different name. Eventually, the Tailspin distinguished itself with the addition of a little Campari. In modern times, cocktail aficionado Robert Hess solidified the Tailspin’s identity by defining it as a “rinse of Campari in the glass” prior to adding the other ingredients.” For the Jabberwock cocktail variation of the Tailspin, the sweet vermouth is replaced with moderately sweet Oloroso sherry. A subtle difference, but one that does change the drink completely. And don’t forget the lemon peel “tail”, it’s essential! Cheers!
A pair of tall tales
The Mouse’s Tale
3/4 oz gin
3/4 oz Oloroso sherry
3/4 oz green Chartruese
Campari rinse
Stir the ingredients with ice and strain into a favorite glass. Lemon tail garnish.
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