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All cocktails Minnie the Moocher

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Minnie the Moocher

After dinner/digestif · Herbal · Nightcap/sipping

4.2 147 ratings

Ingredients

1 1/4 oz Gin
1 oz Dry vermouth
3/4 oz Bénédictine D.O.M.
1 dash Absinthe
1 dash Aromatic bitters

How to make

Serve in a coupe glass

Prepare

  1. 1 Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
  2. 2 No garnish to prepare but be ready to serve with the verbal chant.

Method

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

Garnish

  1. 5 Serve with verbal garnish, 'Hi De Hi De Hi De Ho'.

Flavour profile

26.2% alc./vol. · 1.7 standard drinks · 193 calories

History

Spirit-forward, rich, and complex. A late-night sipper with a fun verbal garnish.

This recipe is adapted from Charlie Conolly's 1939 publication, The World Famous Cotton Club: Book of Mixed Drinks. Minnie the Moocher 1 ounce Dry Gin 1 ounce Dry Vermouth 1 ounce Benedictine 2 or 3 drops of Absinthe 1 dash Angostura Bitters Shake all ingredients with cracked ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. This Jazz Age cocktail draws its name from the song "Minnie the Moocher," first recorded in 1931 by Cab Calloway and his Orchestra. It became their signature piece, leading to Calloway's moniker "The Hi De Hi De Hi Man" due to his interactive scat singing with audiences at the Cotton Club and other renowned jazz venues. (This cocktail originates from The World Famous Cotton Club 1939 book.) Folks, here's a story about Minnie the Moocher She was a lowdown hoochie coocher She was the roughest, toughest frail But Minnie had a heart as big as a whale Hidee hidee hidee hi Hode hode hode ho Hee dee hee dee hee dee hee A hidee hidee hidee ho She messed around with a bloke named Smoky She loved him though he was cokey He took her down to Chinatown And he showed her how to kick the gong around The lyrics of the song contain references to drug use: "hoochie coochie" describes a provocative belly dance style for the era; "Smokey" "was cokey" indicates he was a cocaine user; and "kick the gong around" is slang for smoking opium. Notably, the "hi-de-ho" scat lyrics, which propelled the song to fame, originated when Calloway forgot the lyrics during a live radio performance. Calloway would begin with "He De Hi De Hi De Hi," easily echoed by the audience, but would conclude with more complex improvisations like "Skeedle-a-booka-diki biki skeedly beeka gookity woop!"