Recipe

• 6 parts gin

• 2 parts lemon juice

• 3 parts orgeat syrup

• 1 part cold water

• A couple of drops of angostura bitters

Shake the first four ingredients together with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, then add the bitters on top. Add a twist of orange zest.

I got a bottle of orgeat syrup a while ago for tiki cocktails (see the Mai Tai) and I was impressed with its complexity and aromas. It’s not just almond syrup, it has orange flowers and other stuff too! So I thought I’d see what else I can make.

This is perhaps the most obvious choice: a classic sour cocktail based on gin and lemon, but with orgeat instead of plain old sugar syrup. I might have come up with this myself, but apparently it already has a name: an Army & Navy. It's described in David A. Embury’s influential The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks (1948) where he complains (as usual) about the ratios used, and demands something far sourer than I'd have liked. He also suggests the bitters and water, which are just what it needed. I've adjusted the ratios to my taste.

Overall, it's very nice! You really get the flavours of the orgeat, but it's not sickly. If I was going to adjust it, I'd raise the gin, since it's a little overpowered.

I can't figure out the origin of the name, but it might be that it originated in the "Army and Navy Club" in New York.

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