ETHANOL

SARATOGA

Jerry Thomas's 1887 Bartender's Guide.

COUPE
ETHANOL 24 G169 KCAL FROM ETHANOL3.52 OZ SERVED

SPEC

1 oz · 30 mlRYE WHISKEY45 %
1 oz · 30 mlCOGNAC40 %
1 oz · 30 mlSWEET VERMOUTH16 %
2 dashesANGOSTURA BITTERS44 %

1 oz taken as 30 ml in the metric column.

METHOD

  1. 01STIR ALL INGREDIENTS WITH ICE
  2. 02STRAIN INTO A CHILLED COUPE
  3. 03GARNISH WITH A LEMON TWIST

1 oz taken as 30 ml in the metric column.

STRENGTH // WORKED

Pre-batch3.06 oz mixed with ice, 1.04 oz of it pure alcohol
MeltStirred: +15 % of the pre-batch, +0.46 oz of water
Served3.06 + 0.46 = 3.52 oz in the glass
Strength1.04 ÷ 3.52 = 29.5 % ABV as served
Ethanol1.04 oz × 29.57 ml × 0.789 g/ml = 24 g · about 169 kcal from the alcohol alone

IN THE GLASS

VANILLIN

FROM RYE + COGNAC · from oak barrel aging

Formula
C₈H₈O₃
Mass
152.15 g/mol
IUPAC
4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde

Bourbon's fingerprint, extracted from the charred American oak the law requires for aging. Same molecule as the vanilla bean's signature, so a well-aged bourbon legitimately tastes like vanilla. Chemistry, not metaphor. Cognac, aged rum, tequila reposado all extract vanillin from oak too. Different barrels, same molecule.

PUBCHEM ↗

ALSO IN Old Fashioned · Manhattan · Whiskey Sour · Paper Plane · Boulevardier · Sazerac · Espresso Martini · Mai Tai

GENTIOPICROSIDE

FROM SWEET VERMOUTH

Formula
C₁₆H₂₀O₉
Mass
356.33 g/mol
IUPAC
(3S,4R)-4-ethenyl-3-[(2S,3R,4S,5S,6R)-3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-(hydroxymethyl)oxan-2-yl]oxy-4,6-dihydro-3H-pyrano[3,4-c]pyran-8-one

The bitter from gentian root, used across Campari, Aperol, sweet vermouth, Angostura, and most amari. Bitter compounds activate TAS2R taste receptors that evolved to detect plant alkaloids. The same machinery that makes broccoli taste bad to children also makes a Negroni taste like an adult ordered it.

PUBCHEM ↗

ALSO IN Negroni · Manhattan · Paper Plane · Boulevardier · Sazerac · Naked & Famous · Last Word · Vieux Carré

CHEMISTRY

Rye, Cognac, sweet vermouth and bitters. It is the Manhattan's close cousin: Jerry Thomas's 1887 guide prints both. Rye and Cognac in equal parts share the base, and oak vanillin from both stacks above the vermouth.

PROVENANCE

Printed beside the Manhattan in Jerry Thomas's 1887 guide; the Manhattan was already in print by 1884. Named for the Saratoga Springs racing season, where the drink was said to be served at the Grand Union Hotel bar. The combination of rye and cognac is unusual; most period cocktails picked one or the other. Some accounts attribute the recipe to Saratoga's race-track bartender; the posthumous 1887 guide was the first to print it.

WHISKEY // NEARBY

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