Modern American Drinks by George J. Kappeler (1895, p.42) — George J. Kappeler 1895
| lemon peel — piece twisted lemon-peel | acid | |
| 1 jigger | Whiskey — whiskey | base |
| 5 dash | Pepsin bitters — pepsin bitters | bitter |
| 3 dash | gum syrup — gum-syrup | sweetener |
- Fill a mixing-glass half-full with fine ice.
- Add the gum syrup, pepsin bitters, and whiskey.
- Mix, strain into a cocktail glass, add a piece of twisted lemon peel, and serve.
Garnish: Lemon peel
- Nose
- Whiskey and citrus are familiar, but the bitters give the drink a proprietary medicinal edge.
- Palate
- The structure is orthodox whiskey cocktail, yet the heavy dose of pepsin bitters pushes it toward the tonic and digestive side of late bar culture.
- Finish
- The finish is spiced, slightly tonic, and long.
- Summary
- A proprietary-bitters whiskey cocktail from the medicinal edge of the classic bar.
Recipes like this matter because they preserve the blurred line between pleasure drink, digestive, and branded functional bitters culture in the late nineteenth century.
With five dashes of proprietary bitters, the balance depends on not over-diluting the drink and losing the bitters' intended dominance.