The Army & Navy Cocktail

And just like that - it's fall. This week we went from summer clothes, sandals and late sunsets to sweaters, umbrellas and wellies. So, it's only right that the #mykuratedcocktail for this week's #cocktailoftheweek recipe also transitions to more tummy warming ingredients. I've decided to move from the crisp, classic cocktail notes of summer, to the more subtle rich, warm flavours of fall with the Army & Navy cocktail

There isn's really a clear idea of where this cocktail originated - perhaps the Army and Navy Club in Washington DC, however there are a lot of ideas about how the Army & Navy should be made. I've tried testing a number of variations on this classic cocktail and have come up with one that I feel is balanced and not too sweet. Historically, the Army & Navy Cocktail recipe, is first found printed in the 1948 book, The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks by David Embury. In the book, Embury discusses changing the original cocktail ingredients ratio from an 8:4:4 formula (gin: citrus: orgeat) to an 8:2:1 ratio. He does this, so the libation is not as "horrible". While I don't think this cocktail could have ever been horrible, I'm going to go one step further and change Embury's ratio one more time, to a more modern day balance of spirit to citrus to sweet.

The Army & Navy is a very easy cocktail to make, as has four simple ingredients and is a twist on a traditional gin sour (gin, citrus juice & simple syrup). All you have to do is replace the simple syrup, with orgeat syrup, and you create a rich, nutty gin cocktail that's perfect for fall.

Orgeat (orZHät), is a sweet syrup traditionally made from almonds (or a barley-almond combo), sugar, orange flower water and rose water. It is an important component of Mai Tai's, many tiki drinks and the amazing Hotel Georgia Cocktail from Hawksworth Restaurant (a favourite spot of mine) in the Hotel Georgia. A little orgeat goes a long way in enhancing the flavour of any cocktail. It can also be used as a sweetener in baking, pie and tart filling, ice cream and hot drinks.

There are many recipes for how to make you own orgeat online. If you are making your own, I think a great fall-forward orgeat would combine almonds and hazelnuts for the nutty component, paired with oranges and rosewater.

For this recipe I used a store bought version, BG Reynolds Orgeat that I purchased at Gourmet Warehouse in Vancouver (it can also be found at Legacy Liquor Store or online at amazon). In the past I have also used a Giffard's version, which is a bit lighter on the nutty flavours.

Regardless of store bought or home made orgeat, the Army & Navy is a definite must-try!

As always, if you make any of the recipes here on My Kurated Life, I'd love to hear about it and see your photos. Make sure to hashtag #mykuratedlife to share!

Enjoy the weekend,

Krista

Army & Navy Cocktail

Ingredients

2 oz (60 ml) London dry gin

3/4 oz (22.5 ml) fresh lemon juice

1/2 oz (15 ml) orgeat syrup

2 drops of Angostura bitters

For Garnish:

1 boozy cherry (Luxardo or Griottines - my favourite)

1 thick lemon twist

*serve in a Cocktail Coupe or a Nick and Nora glass

Method

In a cocktail shaker with ice, add gin, lemon juice, orgeat syrup and bitters. Shake vigorously for 10-15 seconds or until the outside of the shaker is chilled. Double strain into a glass and garnish with cherry and lemon twist.