princeton

2/3 Brandy (2 oz Camus VS Cognac)
2 dash Sweet Vermouth (3/4 oz Maurin)
2 dash Pineapple Juice (3/4 oz)
1 dash Boker's or Picon Bitters (1/4 oz Torani Amer)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Two Fridays ago, I began perusing the Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 book for the evening's drink. There, I spotted the Princeton that seemed like a refreshing brandy libation. The better-known Princeton was first published in 1895 by George Kappeler in Modern American Drinks as a layered cocktail of 1 1/2 oz Old Tom gin and 3 dash orange bitters that were stirred and strained into a cocktail glass before a 1/2 oz port was carefully sunk to the bottom. Here, the Princeton was the brandy, sweet vermouth, and pineapple juice with bitters. Since Amer Picon works so well with pineapple, I took that route instead of Boker's. I initially was reminded of a brandy Algonquin of sorts, but the combination was a common one in Pioneers with the rye one appearing twice here in the blog as the Radio Call and the Franklin Square.
Once prepared, this Princeton offered up grape and dark fruit bouquet to the nose. Next, grape, caramel, and a tropical note on the sip transitioned into Cognac, pineapple, and bitter orange flavors on the swallow.