Sensation Cocktail
A couple weeks ago I made a Seventh Heaven Cocktail. It’s a drink of three simple ingredients. But those three ingredients of gin, grapefruit juice and maraschino combine to make one tasty drink. It’s a classic, and recently I found another classic that while similar, was completely different. It’s called the Sensation and man, does the name fit.
Like most classics cocktails, there are several variations that share the same ingredients but are completely different. Some are amazing while others are atrocious. They’re so atrocious in fact, one wonders how they ever were created in the first place. It’s amazing that a simple addition or subtraction of another liquor or mixer can change a drink for the better (or worse). Even something as minor as how much of each ingredient you use can change the final product. That’s what happened with the Sensation.
See, the Seventh Heaven is gin, grapefruit and maraschino. The Sensation also has gin and maraschino, but it’s replaced the grapefruit juice with lemon juice and added a few sprigs of mint. I know it doesn’t seem like that would make a big difference, but believe me, it does. The lemon juice is brighter than the grapefruit, so packs more of a punch; while the mint adds a subtle minty afterglow that leaves you yearning for the next sip.
I found the Sensation in my Old Mr. Boston cocktail book, the same place I found the Seventh Heaven… after I’d read about it over on Cup of Zest. So, both cocktails are from at least 1935 which is why they’re both heavy on the base spirit and light on everything else. Because the gin is so prominent, you use should a good gin. A gin that you prefer, a gin that you love. It’s that gin that makes this drink. While I used Sipsmith, you could just as easily use Hendricks or Citadel. Sure, the lemon juice, maraschino and mint help, but it’s the gin that makes this drink a cocktail worth sipping. How does a cocktail like this survive 80 or so years? Well… because it’s sensational. See what I did there?
Ingredients
- 3/4 ounce lemon juice
- 3 sprigs mint
- 1-1/2 ounces Sipsmith London Dry gin
- 2 teaspoons Maraschino
Instructions
- Place the lemon juice and mint into a cocktail shaker and muddle together. Add the remaining ingredients, and ice and shake vigorously until chilled.
- Double strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with a sprig of mint and serve.
Simple perfection!