Tract · Cocktails

Spirit-forward · Stirred · Historical · complexity 1/5

Blackthorn Cocktail

This Blackthorn is a Tom-gin and sloe-gin aromatic seasoned with orange bitters.

dry · berry · herbal · aperitif

Served in Cocktail glass. Ice: Ice.

Variants (5)

The Cocktail Book a Sideboard Manual for Gentlemen (1901, p.22)

0.67 portionOld Tom gin — Tom ginbase
2 dashesorange bitters base
0.33 portionsloe gin — Sloe ginbase
  1. Fill a mixing glass with ice and add the ingredients.
  2. Mix and strain into a cocktail glass.

Ice: Ice

This matters as an early compact Blackthorn checkpoint before later Scotch-linked confusions and reinterpretations.

The drink remains a lean stirred aromatic with no extra syrup or garnish load.

How to Mix Drinks by George L. Spaulding and W. Rositer (1906, p.11) — Spaulding and Rositer 1906, cocktails section

3 dashlemon juice acid
1 teaspoonsimple syrup — syrupbase
0.5 wineglasssloe gin — Sloe ginbase
1 dashAngostura bitters bitter
2 dashorange bitters bitter
0.5 wineglassItalian vermouth — Italian Vermouthmodifier
  1. Fill a large glass two-thirds with ice, add ingredients, stir well, and strain into cocktail glass.

Ice: Ice

The Buffet Blue Book by John H. Considine (1912, p.21)

0.5 teaspoonfullemon juice acid
0.67 mixing glassice — fine icebase
0.5 wine glasssloe gin base
1 dashAbbott's Bitters bitter
2 dashesorange bitters bitter
0.5 wine glassItalian vermouth modifier
1 teaspoonfulsyrup sweetener
  1. Fill a mixing glass two-thirds full of fine ice and add the syrup, lemon juice, orange bitters, Italian vermouth, Abbott's Bitters, and sloe gin.
  2. Stir thoroughly, strain into a cocktail glass, and serve.

Ice: Fine ice

Bartenders' Guide: How to Mix Drinks by Wehman Bros. (1912, p.14)

3 dashlemon juice — Lemon juiceacid
0.67 glassice — Icebase
0.5 wine-glasssloe gin — Sloe ginbase
1 dashAngostura bitters bitter
2 dashorange bitters — Orange bittersbitter
0.5 wine-glasssweet vermouth — Italian vermouthmodifier
1 teaspoonsimple syrup — Syrupsweetener
  1. Combine the ingredients over ice, stir well, strain into a cocktail glass, and serve.

Ice: Ice

Rawling's Book of Mixed Drinks by Ernest P. Rawling (1914) — Rawling 1914, cocktail section

0.25 measureKirschwasser base
0.5 measureLondon dry gin — sloe ginbase
0.25 measureDubonnet wine other
  1. Stir with ice until very cold and strain into a cocktail glass.

Ice: Ice

See also: Sloe Gin Cocktail, Barry Cocktail