luxury

3/10 Milshire Dry Gin (1 1/4 oz Beefeater)
1/5 Pimm's No. 1 (3/4 oz)
1/6 Bols Banana Liqueur (1/2 oz Tempus Fugit)
1/6 Sweet Vermouth (1/2 oz Cocchi)
1/6 Rose's Lime (1/2 oz Lime Juice)
1 dash Angostura Bitters

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.Two Tuesdays ago, I listened to the Cocktail College podcast where the guest was USBG executive director Aaron Gregory Smith who discussed the Pimm's Cup with host Tim McKirdy. Aaron made a connection between the Pimm's Cup and the USBG by pointing out an obscure recipe in the 1953 UKBG Guide for Drinks called the Luxury that utilized Pimm's. The cocktail was created by bartender and early USBG member W.S. Simpson in 1951 shortly after the USBG formed from the UKBG 75 years ago. The combination of Pimm's and crème de banana was one that I had tried once before in the Banana Cup, so I was curious to see how it would turn out here. With a little modification, I was able to make a modern craft version of the Luxury which greeted me with a banana, lime, and pine aroma. Next, red fruit and lime notes on the sip opened up into gin, tropical, and clove spice flavors on the swallow.