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RAC

After dinner/digestif · Aperitivo/aperitif · Classic/vintage

4.0 56 ratings

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz Gin
3/4 oz Dry vermouth
3/4 oz Rosso/sweet vermouth
1/12 oz Grenadine syrup
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 orange zest twist and Luxardo Maraschino Cherry.

Method

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

Garnish

  1. 5 EXPRESS orange zest twist over cocktail and discard.
  2. 6 Garnish with skewered maraschino cherry.

Flavour profile

22.3% alc./vol. · 1.5 standard drinks · 168 calories

History

A Perfect Martini in equal parts, with extra grenadine for sweetness and orange bitters for complexity.

This is the house cocktail at London's Royal Automobile Club, which received its royal designation from King Edward VII in 1907. The club relocated to its current address at 89 Pall Mall in 1911. Robert Vermeire's 1922 book Cocktails: How to Mix Them marks the R.A.C. cocktail's first appearance in print, crediting Fred Faechs with its creation in 1914. R.A.C Cocktail. Fill the bar glass half full of broken ice and add: ¼ gill of Dry Gin. 1/8 gill of French Vermouth. 1/8 gill of Italian Vermouth. 1 dash of Grenadine. 1 dash Orange Bitters. Stir up well, strain into a cocktail-glass, add a cherry, and squeeze-orange peel on top. R.A.C. stands for Royal Automobile Club. It is the largest club in London, boasting over 16,000 members. (Recipe by Fred Faechs, 1914.) The drink later appeared in the 1924 book Kokuteeru by Japanese bartender Yonekichi Maeda, regarded as the first modern Japanese bartending guide. RAC Cocktail Dry Gin....................... 2/4 oz French Vermouth....... 1/4 oz Italian vermouth......... 1/4 oz Grenadine................... 1 dash Orange Bitter.............. 1 dash Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with crushed ice and stir thoroughly before straining into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a maraschino cherry and lemon peel. The R.A.C. is also found in the 1933 book The Green Cocktail Book by the enigmatic "Jimmy". R.A.C. 2 parts Dry Gin. 1 part French Vermouth 1 part Italian Vermouth 1 dash Grenadine per cocktail 1 dash Orange Bitters per cocktail Express orange peel over the top and serve with a cherry. Harry Craddock's 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book also includes the drink. R.A.C. SPECIAL COCKTAIL. 2 Dashes Orange Bitters. ¼ French Vermouth. ¼ Italian Vermouth. ½ Dry Gin. Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze orange peel on top.

Also known as R.A.C. Special Cocktail · Created by Fred Faechs