prudence prim

2 part Gin (1 oz Beefeater Summer)
1 part Apricot Brandy (1/2 oz Rothman & Winter)
1 part Dry Vermouth (1/2 oz Noilly Prat)
2 dash Lemon Juice (1/4 oz)
3 dash Grenadine (1/4 oz)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass with a sugared rim.
Two Fridays ago, I was searching through Burke's Complete Cocktail and Tastybite Recipes from 1936 and spotted the curiously named Prudence Prim. I later learned that Prudence Prim was one of the illustrated characters that artist Nell Brinkley drew for newspapers and magazines during the 1920s. Prudence along with Flossie, Dimples, and Pretty Polly were stylish characters during these flapper years and appear in a recent book about Brinkley's work. President Calvin Coolidge even named one of his two collies Prudence Prim with the other being Rob Roy.
The drink itself is very similar to the English Rose down to the sugared rim as well as close to the Leave It to Me and the Take It or Leave It which both lack the sugared rim. For a gin, I opted to use Beefeater Summer for I still had a few days before the spirit would seem out of season. The Prudence Prim began with an apricot aroma that led into a vague fruitiness from the grenadine, lemon, and vermouth's grape on the sip. Next, the swallow started with apricot and an herbalness from the gin and vermouth and ended with the lemon's crispness. I was pleased that the apricot did not overwhelm the flavor profile, and the drink's overall balance reminded me of the Scofflaw.