Skip to content
Spirlix
Log in Sign up
All cocktails Monte Carlo

Log in to see whether your bar can pour this

Monte Carlo

After dinner/digestif · Classic/vintage · Hall of Fame and must know/try

4.2 192 ratings

Ingredients

2 oz Rye whiskey 50% abv
1/2 oz Bénédictine D.O.M.
1 dash Aromatic bitters

How to make

Serve in a old-fashioned glass

Prepare

  1. 1 Select and pre-chill an OLD-FASHIONED GLASS.
  2. 2 Prepare garnish of lemon zest twist.

Method

  1. 3 STIR all ingredients with ice.
  2. 4 STRAIN into ice-filled glass (preferably over a large cube or chunk of block ice).

Garnish

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

Flavour profile

50.0% alc./vol. · 2 standard drinks · 182 calories

History

When served without ice, the Monte Carlo is similar to the Scaffa family of cocktails. However, it is more commonly and enjoyably served on the rocks, making it akin to a Manhattan where Bénédictine replaces vermouth. David Embury, in his 1948 book The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, noted, "This drink is a bit on the sweet side. It can be improved by adding 2 parts lemon juice and increasing the rye from 2 parts to about 4 or 5." Embury, known for his less sensitive palate, suggests that most people would find the current level of sweetness in this cocktail appealing, especially as an after-dinner drink or nightcap.

David Embury's 1948 book, The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, offers the earliest known printed reference to the Monte Carlo. Embury describes the drink as consisting of "1 part Bénédictine, 2 parts Rye, 1 or 2 dashes Angostura to each drink. Shake with cracked ice".