albion

2/3 Gordon's Dry Gin (1 1/2 oz Beefeater)
2 dash French Vermouth (1/2 oz Noilly Prat Dry)
2 dash Cointreau (1/2 oz)
2 dash Lemon Juice (1/2 oz)
1 dash Ojen Bitters (1/8 oz Butterfly Absinthe)

Stir (shake) with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. I garnished with a lemon twist.

Two Tuesdays ago, I opened up our copy of Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars 1903-1933 to the gin section and spotted the Albion. I made the choice to interpret the dashes as more sizable such that the secondary ingredients made up half the drink itself. The original instructions, however, say to stir the drink and perhaps this was meant to be more like a lightly flavored glass of gin served silky smooth. Then again, many old cocktail books have no real convention for stirring or shaking and flip-flop between them. So perhaps I am not too far amiss in my interpretation of the vague recipe.
The Albion shared a lemon and juniper aroma with hints of anise. A crisp lemon and orange sip shared a salinity from the dry vermouth. Finally, the Albion ended with a gin and orange swallow and anise finish. Overall, the drink appeared like a White Lady crossed with a Corpse Reviver #2.