Tuesday, June 5, 2012

syncopation cocktail

2/5 Brandy (1 oz Courvoisier VS Cognac)
1/5 Triple Sec (1/2 oz Cointreau)
1/5 Calvados (1/2 oz Morin Selection)
1/5 Lemon Juice (1/2 oz)
A dash of Bitters (1 dash Angostura)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. I added a lemon twist.

After the Coo-ee Special, I dropped back a decade to the 1927 Barflies and Cocktails by Harry McElhone. There, the Syncopation Cocktail finally called out to me; it was created or at least contributed to the book by Harry Cahill with the history of "between step and struts, Harry Cahill tosses off Syncopation Cocktail." Indeed, the American Cahill was well known in Paris during the 1920s for his dancing including performing in shows like the Midnight Blue Cabaret; to the right is a photo of him and his dance partner Fay Harcourt cerca 1925. Without the bitters and with equal parts, the Syncopation Cocktail looks a lot like the Deauville Cocktail; perhaps Cahill modified the Deauville into his own creation. This is not unlikely for Cahill frequently performed and probably drank at the Deauville Casino during that decade.
The Syncopation Cocktail's aroma contained fruit notes from the Cognac and Calvados that were accented by the lemon oil. The lemon and orange notes filled the sip, and the swallow offered apple and brandy flavors along with Angostura's spice. Moreover, the addition of the bitters to the recipe seemed to bring forward the apple flavors in the balance.

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