Skip to content
Spirlix
Log in Sign up
All cocktails Affinity

Log in to see whether your bar can pour this

Affinity

Classic/vintage · Hall of Fame and must know/try

4.5 137 ratings

Ingredients

1 oz Scotch whisky
1 oz Vermouth amaro (Coc.)
1 oz Dry vermouth
1 dash Aromatic bitters

How to make

Serve in a coupe glass

Prepare

  1. 1 Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
  2. 2 Prepare garnish of lemon zest twist.

Method

  1. 3 STIR all ingredients with ice.
  2. 4 FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

  1. 5 EXPRESS lemon zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Flavour profile

19.5% alc./vol. · 1.3 standard drinks · 180 calories

History

A spirituous aperitivo or after-dinner sipper, made with numerous different sweet vermouths or a vermouth amaro. Equal parts produce a balanced drink, but those after a more spirituous cocktail may want more Scotch. Consider using a single malt Scotch; choice dramatically changes the drink's profile.

Popular in the 1920s, the Affinity first appeared in The New York Sun on October 28, 1907. The newspaper described a new cocktail on Broadway called the Affinity, suggesting that after consuming one, the horizon would appear rosy, a second would bring Wall Street to the forefront offering lamb shearings, and a third would induce visions of greenery, birdsong, and the appearance of one's "affinity." The original recipe included one medium teaspoon of powdered sugar, one dash of orange bitters, one jigger of Scotch whiskey, and half a jigger of Italian vermouth, shaken with cracked ice until blended and cooled, then strained and served. A different version, served frappé with French and Italian vermouths and crème de violette, appeared in William T. Boothby's 1908 book, The World's Drinks And How To Mix Them. Jacques Straub's 1913 manual, Straub's Manual of Mixed Drinks, featured a recipe close to the 1907 Affinity but under the name "Express Cocktail": EXPRESS COCKTAIL - 1 Dash Orange Bitters. ½ Jigger Italian Vermouth. ½ Jigger McCallum's Perfection Scotch Whiskey. Shake. The earliest reference for the Affinity as it is known today appears in Jacob A. Didier's The Reminder Bartenders' Vest Pocket Guide: AFFINITY COCKTAIL - Use a mixing glass. 2 dashes Aromatic Bitters. 1/3 drink French vermouth. 1/3 drink Italian vermouth. 1/3 drink Scotch whiskey. ½ glass cracked ice. Stir, strain, twist lemon peel over top, add cherry and serve. Hugo R. Ensslin included Didier's recipe in his 1917 book, Recipes for Mixed Drinks: AFFINITY COCKTAIL - 1/3 drink French vermouth. 1/3 drink Italian vermouth. 1/3 drink Scotch whiskey. 2 dashes Aromatic Bitters. Stir well in a mixing glass with cracked ice, strain and serve with a cherry and a twist of lemon peel over the top. Harry Craddock's 1930 book, The Savoy Cocktail Book, features the Affinity recipe from Didier and Ensslin, omitting only the cherry garnish. Craddock's influence is such that modern recipes, including this one, also omit the cherry.

Also known as Scotch Manhattan