The Bronx

FORMULATION

To make 1 cocktail

1/2 ounce sweet vermouth

1/2 ounce dry vermouth

2 1/2 ounces gin

1/4 orange

3 to 4 ice cubes

A 4-ounce cocktail glass, chilled

PROCEDURE

Combine the sweet and dry vermouths, gin, juice of 1/4 orange and ice cubes in a mixing glass. Drop the squeezed orange quarter into the mixing glass, place a shaker on top and, grasping them firmly together with both hands, shake well. Remove the shaker, place a strainer on top of the mixing glass, and pour into the cocktail glass.

RESULTS

So I actually liked this drink, I thought it was similar to the Perfect Martini but more orange which cuts the sweet vermouth a bit which I preferred. I loved using the orange, I love that flavor in mixed drinks and appreciate when it's more pronounced. I'm giving this a 4/5 because it's a drink I enjoyed but I wouldn't think to make it often, it's not the most memorable but when I'm drinking it's super yummy.

Here are my images of the evening, important things to notice: my mint plant is growing so tall you can see it poking over the gin bottle in the first picture :) they haven't been easy to grow since it's cold by the window but they need sun. I'm hopeful that in a month I'll be having a mint julep. Also the second picture is a combined hoot of the sweet and dry vermouth, just wanted to clarify. I love my strainer, this is kind of the first time I've seen it's value over the lid with the built in strainer I normally use. The orange would have probably blocked the flow of the drink out of the top but the strainer allowed for easy pouring (thanks Dad for the gift).

DISCUSSION

OK OK can I just say I am good at this, I gave this a google AFTER writing my lil results shpeal and the lovely Wikipedia says, "The Bronx is a cocktail. It is essentially a Perfect Martini with orange juice added." Which is what I said! I'm glad I made the Perfect Martini first so I had that as a mode of comparison. Wikipedia also says, "It was ranked number three in "The World's 10 Most Famous Cocktails in 1934" behind the Martini and the Manhattan." And I have to say those are my top two FAVORITE cocktails. I just finished both the Martini series and the Manhattan go check those posts out!

The main reason for the google was to figure out the history of the nomencalture, it is however not so interesting. Here's the reason as it can be found on liquor.com,

"Like many pre-Prohibition cocktails, the origin of the Bronx is up for debate. However, this debate is less fiery than others, with the generally accepted story attributing its creation to one Johnny Solon (also spelled Solan), a bartender at the famous Astoria-Waldorf Hotel in New York. Reportedly, Solon created the drink sometime in the early 1900s, though an precise date is unknown. According to bartender legend Gary Regan, Solon named it the Bronx after visiting the Bronx Zoo, which opened in 1899. Cocktail historian David Wondrich, in his book “Imbibe,” reports some conflicting origins, including two bartenders in the Bronx itself who have been attributed with the cocktail’s creation."

Let me know how you would rate The Bronx, cheers!