The Marguerite cocktail is a precursor of the dry martini. Thomas Stuart’s recipe appeared the 1904 reprint of his 1896 book Stuart’s Fancy Drinks and How to Mix Them, listed under “New and Up-to-Date Drinks”, signaling a move away from sweet vermouth as Dry drinks crept into fashion.
Other bartenders use the Marguerite cocktail as a building block for their own drinks, like Harry Johnson, whose version uses anisette as well as bitters, and was garnished with a cherry.
Plymouth Gin was the gin of the time, and is the most referenced gin in the Savoy Cocktail book. I’m going to stay faithful to the original recipe, which also uses Noilly Prat as the dry vermouth.
Ingredients for the Marguerite Cocktail
60ml Plymouth Gin
30ml Noilly Prat dry vermouth
2 dashes of orange bitters (I used Fee Brothers West Indian Orange bitters)
orange peel for garnish
Method
The Savoy Cocktail book asks for this drink to be shaken, but you all know my preference for stirring my martinis, so I’m going to stick with doing that.
Add all ingredients to an ice-filled mixing glass and stir for 40-50 seconds. Double-strain into a chilled glass and garnish with the orange peel.
Enjoy!
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