Colonsay Ampersand Gin Cocktail
Colonsay Ampersand Gin cocktail is quite a boozy brandy influenced affair! Those looking for something sweet may not find it here! Very much for the Martini & Manhattan lover's out there. This cocktail was first published in the Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book by A.S. Crockett. As Difford's Guide explains, the name may be a reference to the ampersand (&) in the brand of vermouth that was used.
Did you know that the ampersand was once part of the English alphabet? It was more or less the 27th letter, after Z.
The symbol didn't have a name; it was just "and". Since it was both a letter and a word of its own, when children recited the alphabet they would end with "and per se and", per se meaning "in and of itself". Over time, it slurred into "ampersand", and the ampersand itself fell off the end of the alphabet, leaving us with the 26 letters.
The recipe calls for Cognac, but we’ve used a delicious Stremy Brandy XO. Credit to Difford's Guide & Pheonix Times websites for the history and recipe, and of course our 'resident' mixologist Anthony @cocktails_for_breakfast for the Colonsay Gin version.
Method and ingredients below:
30ml Brandy
30ml Sweet Vermouth
5ml Grand Marnier
1 dash Orange Bitters
Stir all ingredients over ice until well chilled, then strain into your chilled glass. Garnish with orange peel
As always, we’d love to hear what you think of this recipe and it would be great to see your efforts on Instagram. We’ll be giving away some Colonsay Gin goodies every month to the best, most creative, post using #colonsaygincocktail so best get shaking and making!!
