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The Atty

Aperitivo/aperitif · Classic/vintage · Floral (e.g. Elderflower spritz)

4.0 48 ratings

Ingredients

2 oz Gin
2/3 oz Dry vermouth
1/24 oz Crème de violette
1/24 oz Absinthe

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

28.1% alc./vol. · 1.7 standard drinks · 163 calories

History

This recipe remains faithful to classic 1930s proportions. In line with modern bartending conventions, instructions are to stir rather than shake. Shaking yields a more delicious cocktail; if shaken, consider doubling crème de violette and absinthe. Shaken or stirred, this Martini-style cocktail is dry and aromatic with subtle floral and aniseed notes.

This cocktail originates from Harry Craddock's 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book. While many recipes in Craddock's 1930 compendium are drawn from Hugo R. Ensslin's 1917 Recipes For Mixed Drinks, a significant pre-Prohibition cocktail book, the Atty Cocktail does not appear in Ensslin's work. However, a cocktail named "Attention" is present in Ensslin's book. It contains the same ingredients as the Atty Cocktail, presented in the identical sequence, but with imbalanced, equal proportions: "¼ French vermouth ¼ Absinthe ¼ Gin ¼ Crème de Violette Shake well in a mixing glass with cracked ice, strain and serve." Given the parallels, it is widely believed that Ensslin's "Attention" cocktail served as the inspiration for Craddock's Atty Cocktail, which may be a more refined or condensed version.

Created by Harry Craddock