full house #2

1 oz Apple Brandy (Laird's Applejack)
1 oz Benedictine
1 oz Yellow Chartreuse
1 dash Angostura Bitters (Fee's Whiskey Barrel)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

For my second drink at Rendezvous on Wednesday, I selected the Full House #2 out the bar's recipe book. While the Full House #1 appears in the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book (1/2 Bacardi Rum, 1/4 Swedish Punsch, 1/4 Dry Vermouth), this version, #2, appears in the 1935 Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book. There, the history of the drink is given as, "The name is indicative of the sway once enjoyed by what was the great American indoor game in B.C. days -- this is to say Before Contract, or Before Culbertson." The description makes reference to the game of Bridge which gained popularity during the Depression since the requisite deck of cards made for cheap entertainment. The Waldorf's history mentions Ely Culbertson, a New Yorker who gained a lot of fame in the 1930's by developing a strategy system which he used to demolish the English in Bridge tournaments. Apparently, his popularization of the contract system depopularized some of the old standard terms including the full house for winning all of the tricks.

The cocktail itself was a more aggressively liqueur-driven version of the Widow's Kiss, and was rather very to the Woxum where sweet vermouth substitutes for the Benedictine. Due to the recent Angostura shortages, bartender Scott Holliday used Fee's Whiskey Barrel Aged Bitters; the aged bitter's grand cinnamon note functioned to complement the apple and the Benedictine. In addition, the Benedictine and Yellow Chartreuse played rather well together, and with the bitters, they provided a lot of spice flavors at the end of the swallow.