Skip to content
Spirlix
Log in Sign up
All cocktails Turf Club

Log in to see whether your bar can pour this

Turf Club

Aperitivo/aperitif · Classic/vintage

4.2 31 ratings

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz Old Tom gin
1 1/2 oz Rosso/sweet vermouth
2 dash Aromatic 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.

Method

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

Garnish

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

22.7% alc./vol. · 1.5 standard drinks · 163 calories

History

Simple yet delicious, this drink balances equal parts Old Tom gin and sweet vermouth with aromatic bitters. Winter’s 1884 recipe specifies "Peruvian bitters." While 3 dashes of Peruvian Cortesano Amargo Bitters Aromatic are suggested as a good substitute if available, a slightly reduced measure of standard aromatic bitters, such as Angostura, may also be used.

A drink that may be the first cocktail to combine gin and vermouth, the Turf Club is a relative of the Martinez and the Martini. It first appeared in print in George Winter's 1884 How To Mix Drinks–Bar-Keeper's Handbook, listed as the "Turf Club." Later publications frequently shortened the name to "Turf." The name "Turf Club" evokes the gentlemen's clubs of the late 1800s and early 1900s. These establishments functioned as a combination restaurant, bar, meeting place, and gambling den for the era's gentlemen. The aristocracy and captains of industry have long favored horse racing, and where people gather to watch races, betting is sure to follow. "Turf accountants," or bookmakers, were common patrons of these clubs, and the Turf Cocktail was often consumed there. One such distinguished gentlemen's club, The Turf Club, was located at the corner of Madison Avenue and 26th Street in New York City. The building itself, Jerome Mansion, had a notable history as the former residence of Lady Randolph Churchill, Winston Churchill's American mother. It is imagined that Winston Churchill himself might have appreciated a well-made Turf Club cocktail. TURF CLUB COCKTAIL. Two or Three dashes of Peruvian Bitters; One-half wine glass of Tom gin; One-half wine glass of Italian Vermouth; Fill glass three-quarters full of fine ice, stir well with spoon and strain in fancy cocktail glass, then serve.

Created by George Winter