chelsea special

2/3 Gordon's Gin (2 oz Beefeater)
1/6 French Vermouth (1/2 oz Dolin Blanc)
1/6 Curaçao (1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry)
3 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.Two Wednesdays ago, I returned to my digital copy of the 1934 1700 Drinks for the Man Behind the Bar and spotted the Chelsea Special that reminded me a little of a Joy Division but with Angostura instead of absinthe. I was able to track down through the UKBG's 1937 Approved book that it was created by British bartender W. Campbell. When I mixed it with dry vermouth as the French style, the Chelsea Special was a bit too dry and bitters forward, so I remade it with blanc vermouth instead. With that sweeter French style, it approached the nose with orange and pine aromas. Next, an off-dry sip with orange notes gave way to gin, orange, clove, and allspice on the swallow.