Douglas Fairbanks Cocktail

I came across an adaptation of this cocktail  in Jeff Masson and Greg Boehm's uber-treasury of classic drinks, The Big Bartender's Book. 

After trying the recipe a few times and finding it very enjoyable, I started doing a little research and found that there were may variations on this drink out there, and none of them matched the adaptation I was using.

(From the 1935 ed of Sloppy Joe's)

The original recipe is from the classic Cuban cocktail title Sloppy Joe's Cocktails Manual: Season 1934 by Jose Abeal and Valentin Garcia (1934), and this original recipe matched up perfectly with their adaptation. 

Thus proving to me once again, that the Big Bartender's Book is an authoritative and accurate resource. Honestly, if I could only choose one book to have behind the bar, this would be it! 

Here is the recipe as it appears in the Big Bartender's Book:

Douglas Fairbanks Cocktail

2 ounces (60 ml) gin

1 ounce (30 ml) apricot brandy

3/4 ounce (22 ml) lime juice

1/2 ounce (15 ml) egg white

Shake with ice and strain into a flute.

Marie Brizard Apry and Plymouth gin work really well together in this one. Plymouth is a very light and clean gin and when it is combined with the concentrated flavors of the Apry against the bright lime juice, you end up with a very nice cocktail from the "sour" family of drinks.

Add the silky, airy mouth feel you get from the egg white, and you also get a very drinkable and accessible cocktail in the Douglas Fairbanks. One that should be nearly as popular at a cocktail party as Doug himself would have been!