million dollar

2/3 Gin (1 1/2 oz Beefeater)
1/3 Sweet Vermouth (3/4 oz Cocchi)
1 tbsp Pineapple Juice (1/2 oz)
1 tsp Grenadine (1/4 oz)
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with ice, and strain into a cocktail glass; I garnished with a few drops of Bitter Housewife's Cardamom Bitters.

Two Saturdays ago, I decided to make a drink called the Million Dollar that I had spotted in the 1937 Café Royal Cocktail Book; I had spied the recipe when researching the Brown Rumba for a video that I shot for Deep Ellum's riff, the Bourbon Rumba. Imbibe Magazine credited Louis Eppinger of Bamboo Cocktail fame for creating the Million Dollar towards the end of the 19th century, and it apparently is still considered a classic in Japan. There is a competing lore that it was first crafted by Ngiam Tong Boon of Singapore Sling fame at the beginning of the 20th century, but that story has less support with cocktail historians.Once prepared, the Million Dollar donated a cardamom bouquet to the nose from the bitters garnish that I added to the recipe. Next, pineapple and berry notes on the sip stepped aside to gin, herbal, and pomegranate flavors on the swallow.