EVER tried Prohibition Cocktails? These are cocktails that reference the Prohibition era and its ‘speakeasy’ culture. It dates back to the 1920s, when Chicago was home to infamous gangster and prohibition-dodger Al Capone.
Prohibition Cocktails include Hanky Panky, which was designed by one of the few women bartenders of the era at the Savoy Hotel in London; Monkey Gland, a drink that was designed to give men a little extra ‘vavoom’; and Gunner, actually a mocktail (since it doesn’t contain any real alcohol) but which has been described as “the only real Hong Kong cocktail.”
All three drinks were served during the Celebrate Chicago month of November (2015) at The Peninsula Manila Salon de Ning and The Bar. Here are the recipes, which The Peninsula Manila gladly shared.
MONKEY GLAND
45 ml. Beefeater Gin
30 ml. orange juice
3 dashes grenadine
3 dashes Benedictine
1. Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and shake.
2. Strain, and pour into a coupe glass.
3. Garnish with a lychee.
HANKY PANKY
30 ml. Beefeater Gin
30 ml. sweet vermouth
3 dashes fernet branca
1. Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir for 30 seconds.
2. Strain over a martini or coupe glass.
3. Garnish with an orange twist.
GUNNER
ginger ale
ginger beer
dash of lime cordial
dash of bitters
1. Combine equal parts of ginger ale and ginger beer.
2. Add a dash of lime cordial and a dash of bitters.
3. Garnish with a lemon wheel.
