The Gypsy Cocktail – Then and Now
As a vintage food and cocktail blogger, I have the opportunity to attend a lot of food and drink events. Most of them focus on current recipes and cookbooks as well as all the new liquors available for purchase. They’re all so much fun! I mean, who doesn’t love tasting delicious food and sipping on spectacular cocktails? While all the current recipes are great to try, my favorite events are those that focus on the history.
I’ve been to a few historical cocktail events and they’ve been a blast. Not only do I get to taste delicious drinks, I discover where and how said drinks were created. I attended one such event recently and unlike past affairs that focus on a specific liquor, this one focused on a classic cocktail book. A book that I’ve used quite a bit. It’s the Old Mr. Boston Official Bartender’s Guide.
A lot of the cocktails I’ve shared over the years have come out of my original 1935 Old Mr. Boston. But at this event, I got to grab the 75th anniversary edition edited by the Cocktail Guru himself, Jonathan Pogash. The Gypsy is in both the original book and the new edition. But over the years it’s changed. See, the original is made with gin and the sequel is made with vodka. That may not sound like a big difference, but trust me it is.
The gin version has a much more subtle flavor. There are still plenty of floral notes though, depending on the gin you use. The vodka version has a lot more punch and has a harsher finish that’s then evened out by the Benedictine. It’s possible that’s why the liquors changed over the years. I mean, I love a good vodka cocktail, but having tried both versions of the Gypsy, I definitely prefer the gin. It’s not as harsh and the floral notes from the gin mix well with the vermouth. Top it off with a maraschino cherry and you have one delicious drink. That’s not to say the vodka version isn’t good, it’s great. I just prefer the new one.
If you want to make the vodka Gypsy, feel free to pick up the new Mr. Boston. But you’d better hurry. They won’t be making any more after this edition. That’s right this is the last edition of Mr. Boston that will ever be printed. So, once they’re gone, they’re gone for good. If the gin Gypsy is any indication, the drinks in the 75th edition of Mr. Boston will be something to savor. So far I’ve tasted five drinks in a tomb of more than 200, and that sampling is enough to tell me this book and these drinks are really something special.
Ingredients
For the 1935 version:
- 2 ounces Italian Vermouth
- 2 ounces gin
For the 2019 version:
- 1-1/2 ounces Benedictine
- 2 ounces vodka
- 1-2 dashes Angostura bitters
Instructions
For either version:
- Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass, garnish with a maraschino cherry and serve.
