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All cocktails Merry Widow(er)

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Merry Widow(er)

Classic/vintage · Herbal · Martini-style

4.0 63 ratings

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz Gin
1 1/2 oz Dry vermouth
1/6 oz Bénédictine D.O.M.
2 dash Absinthe
1 dash Creole 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

24.0% alc./vol. · 1.6 standard drinks · 170 calories

History

A Fifty-Fifty Martini featuring subtle herbal and aniseed notes.

The Merry Widow is listed in Hugo R. Ensslin's 1917 Recipes for Mixed Drinks (2nd Edition), with a possibility of inclusion in the 1916 first edition. Harry Craddock's 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book and Albert Stevens Crockett's 1935 The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book also feature this drink. The cocktail's name originates from the Broadway production "The Merry Widow," which debuted on October 21, 1907, at the New Amsterdam Theatre. This operetta, first performed in Vienna in 1905, achieved international success with a ballet adaptation and at least five film versions. The recipe for the Merry Widow Cocktail is as follows: ½ Dry Gin ½ French Vermouth 2 dashes Benedictine 1 dash Peychaud Bitters 2 dashes Absinthe Stir well in a mixing glass with cracked ice, strain and serve with a twist of lemon peel on top. Another version, titled MERRY WIDOW COCKTAIL, provides these measures: 2 Dashes Absinthe. 2 Dashes Angostura Bitters. 2 Dashes Bénédictine. ½ French Vermouth. ½ Dry Gin. Stir well and strain into cocktail glass. Twist lemon peel on top. A variation labeled MERRY WIDOW* uses: One-half François Vermouth One-half Dubonnet