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All cocktails Pegu Club

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Pegu Club

Aperitivo/aperitif · Citrusy · Classic/vintage

4.2 144 ratings

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz Gin
1/3 oz Orange Curaçao
1/6 oz Lime juice
1/6 oz Lime cordial
1/6 oz Sugar syrup 'rich' (2:1)
1/4 oz Chilled water
1 dash Aromatic bitters
1 dash Orange bitters

How to make

Serve in a coupe glass

Prepare

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

Method

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

Garnish

  1. 5 Express lime zest twist over cocktail and discard.
  2. 6 Garnish with lime wedge on rim.

Flavour profile

21.4% alc./vol. · 1.3 standard drinks · 151 calories

History

Whether one considers modern-day Rose's Lime Cordial, or other available brands and homemade recipes, lime cordial is believed to be an essential component of this cocktail's DNA, much like the Gimlet, and should be included. In keeping with the Gimlet, fresh lime juice is also used to add fresh citrus zing alongside the 'cooked' notes of the cordial. The orange curaçao liqueur is another variable in a Pegu Club. A dry 40 alc./vol. versus a very sweet 20-27% orange curaçao will impact the overall alcohol and sugar content differently. A dry 40% curaçao is used here, necessitating the addition of a small amount of sugar syrup for balance. When the balance is correct, a Pegu Club is citrusy, bracing, and refreshing. The gin provides the backbone, while rich zesty orange curaçao, accentuated by tart lime, drives the flavour.

This cocktail was created in the 1920s at the Pegu Club, a gentlemen's club for expatriates in British colonial Rangoon, Burma. The Pegu Club is first mentioned in Harry McElhone's 1923 "Harry" of Ciro's ABC of Mixing Cocktails and is notably featured in Harry Craddock's 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book, where he describes it as "The favourite cocktail at the Pegu Club, Burma, and one that has travelled, and is asked for, round the world." Although The Savoy is influential, the recipe published only months before Craddock's, in Cocktails by Jimmy Late Of Ciro's London, written by the enigmatic "Jimmy" (who, like McElhone, also worked at Ciro's in London), calls for fresh lime instead of cordial, making it closer to many modern interpretations of this classic. The version presented here respects the use of lime cordial, perhaps making it slightly more authentic. Pegu Club Cocktail: 1 dash Angostura Bitters, 1 dash of Orange Bitters, 1 teaspoon Lime Juice (Rose's), 1/6 Curaçao (Orange), 2/3 Gin. PEGU CLUB: 4 parts Dry Gin, 1 part Curacao, 1 part Lime juice, 1 dash Angostura Bitters per cocktail, 1 dash Orange Bitters per cocktail. PEGU CLUB COCKTAIL: 1 Dash Angostura Bitters. 1 Dash Orange Bitters. 1 Teaspoonful Lime Juice, 1/3 Curaçao. 2/3 Dry Gin. Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. The description notes it as "The favourite cocktail at the Pegu Club, Burma, and one that has travelled, and is asked for, round the world."