Tuxedo

Two Tuxedos, and which one you are drinking

The drink takes its name from Tuxedo Park, the New York country club where it became a fixture in the 1890s. The older formula, today labelled Tuxedo No. 2, uses Old Tom gin and dry vermouth; the version in this card is the richer one, with sweet vermouth and a whisper of absinthe, and it behaves like a Martini that has been to the opera.

Reading the measures

Two ounces of gin has to be assertive — a London dry with juniper and coriander rather than a soft contemporary style, because there is a lot to cut through. One ounce of sweet vermouth is a full third of the drink and supplies its body; it should come from a recently opened bottle, since oxidised vermouth tastes of wet cardboard and ruins the glass. A quarter ounce of maraschino adds cherry-stone dryness rather than sweetness, two dashes of orange bitters tie the gin to the vermouth, and a single dash of absinthe is a seasoning, not an ingredient.

Rinsing with absinthe

Pour a dash into a chilled coupe, tilt the glass so the spirit coats the whole inside, then tip the excess away. What stays behind is measured in drops, and it changes the drink out of all proportion to its volume, hanging an aniseed halo around the cherry.

Stirring and serving

Stir over plenty of ice for thirty seconds. This is an all-spirit drink, so dilution is the only thing standing between you and a warm, syrupy glass. Strain into the rinsed coupe with no ice and drop in one Luxardo cherry.

Strength

Roughly 30% ABV before stirring and nearer 26% in the glass, at about 190 calories.

Frequent mistakes

Adding the absinthe to the mixing glass, where it overwhelms everything else. Stirring for ten seconds and serving a lukewarm drink. Using syrup from a jar of cherries in place of the liqueur.

Variations

The Tuxedo No. 2 moves to Old Tom gin and dry vermouth for a leaner, saltier aperitif. The Martinez drops the absinthe and the orange bitters and leans harder on sweet vermouth.

Can you use dry vermouth instead?

You can, and you will have made a Tuxedo No. 2 under another name. Add a barspoon of maraschino to round it out.

Why rinse the glass rather than add the absinthe?

Because a full dash in the drink tastes of anise from the first sip to the last, while a rinse leaves it only in the aroma.