Red Lion Cocktail
Today I’m bringing you a gin cocktail. I know this is usually the time when I put the clear liquors away, but I recently discovered this gem and just couldn’t pass it up. As you know, I’m a big gin fan and honestly, there’s no rule that says gin or vodka can only be imbibed in the spring and summer. I mean, I’ll never, ever turn down a dirty martini. So, while it may have gotten chilly, and it might be a little late in the year for a gin drink, I’m shaking it up anyway.
This one is similar to others I’ve made because it’s full of gin and citrus. Unlike those other cocktails, this one doesn’t have just one ounce of orange or lemon juice. No, this cocktail has an ounce of Grand Marnier (a sweeter orange liqueur) and an ounce fresh orange and lemon juice. That’s a lot of citrus. It’s that extra dose of citrus that makes this the perfect tipple for fall.
Now is the time you’ll start seeing more citrus varieties at the grocery stores and farmers’ markets. You’re no longer stuck with Navel oranges and Eureka Lemons! Now you can buy Clementines, Satsumas and Tangelos. Meyer lemons, which are a slightly sweeter lemon, also start showing up later this month. With all these options, you could make the Red Lion every night with a different orange or lemon and have a very different cocktail experience. See, if you go with a sweeter orange, like the Clementine, you’ll have a sweeter drink. But if you use a Navel you’ll end up with something a little drier.
The Red Lion dates back to 1933 when, according to cocktail historian, David Wondrich, Arthur Tarling of London’s Café Royal won first prize in a local cocktail competition with this lovely little sipper. It was such a hit, the drink found its way into the 1937 Café Royal Cocktail Book by Billy Tarling, making it the first and only “contest winner to ever enter the standard cocktail lists.” If a cocktail competition winner has lasted over 80 years and can be found in classic cocktail books, then that’s definitely a tipple worth a sip, no matter how you shake it up.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce gin
- 1 ounce Grand Marnier
- 1/2 ounce lemon juice
- 1/2 ounce orange juice
Instructions
- Rub the rim of a cocktail glass with lemon juice and dip in sugar. Set aside.
- Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously until chilled.
- Strain into prepared cocktail glass and serve.
