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Fourth Regiment

Nightcap/sipping · Short and stirred · Spirit-forward

4.2 66 ratings

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz Rye whiskey 50% abv
1 1/2 oz Rosso/sweet vermouth
2 dash Creole bitters
2 dash Orange bitters
2 dash Celery bitters
2 drop Saline solution 4:1

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

50.0% alc./vol. · 1.7 standard drinks · 169 calories

History

A previous recipe for this vintage Manhattan riff adhered to the classic two-part whiskey (split 3:1 between bourbon and rye) to one-part vermouth proportion. However, a distinguishing feature of the Fourth Regiment is vintage recipes that call for equal parts. Jacques Straub (1914) and Charles H. Baker Jr. (1939), the most referenced, also suggest a trio of bitters: orange, aromatic, and celery. Yet, the earliest known recipe, dated 1889, indicates the Fourth Regiment was originally made with Creole-style bitters instead of aromatic bitters. There was a preference for aromatic bitters with an orange zest twist in place of orange bitters, but since being influenced by Chris Lemperle of New York's Crane Club in January 2025, the original three bitters have been used with a lemon zest twist, as the resulting cocktail is delicious.

The Fourth Regiment cocktail traces its origins to the 1890s, as documented in the 1889 book titled 282 Mixed Drinks from the Private Records of a Bartender of the Olden Days, a discovery credited to Robert Hess (see DrinkBoy.com). The original formulation included whiskey, rosso vermouth, orange bitters, Peychaud's Bitters, and celery bitters, finished with a lemon zest twist. This cocktail later appeared in Jacques Straub's 1914 book Drinks and Charles H. Baker, Jr.'s 1939 publication, The Gentleman's Companion volume II – An Exotic Drinking Book. Fourth Regiment Cocktail. 1 dash orange bitters. 1 dash Angostura bitters. 1 dash celery bitters. ½ jigger whiskey. ½ jigger Italian vermouth. Piece of lemon peel. Shake THE FOURTH REGIMENT COCKTAIL, BROUGHT TO OUR AMAZED ATTENTION by ONE COMMANDER LIVESEY, in COMMAND of ONE of HIS MAJESTY'S DAPPER LITTLE SLOOPS of WAR, out in BOMBAY, A.D. 1931 Research indicated this was essentially a Manhattan Cocktail prepared in a 4oz size, enhanced with 1 dash each of celery, Angostura, and orange bitters. The reason for the inclusion of orange bitters was never understood, as the Angostura flavor is dominant. The instruction was to chill very cold and garnish with a twist of green lime peel squeezed to release its oil onto the surface after the drink is poured.

Created by Charles H Baker