🥃 Monkey Gland

Monkey Gland is a classic gin cocktail with fresh orange juice, grenadine and absinthe. The International Bartenders Association (IBA) lists it among The Unforgettables. The IBA recipe shakes 45 ml of dry gin and 45 ml of orange juice with a spoon of absinthe and a spoon of grenadine, then strains it into a chilled glass.

Author. According to Difford's Guide, the cocktail was created by Harry MacElhone at Harry's New York Bar in Paris. It is one of the few cocktails whose authorship the sources assign to one person. It appeared in MacElhone's book “Harry's ABC of Mixing Cocktails”; the 1923 edition explains the name through Serge Voronoff's rejuvenation experiments.

The name. Voronoff, a French surgeon, transplanted monkey tissue into elderly people in the hope of restoring their strength. The drink's name refers to these experiments and to the fashion for rejuvenation at the time; the cocktail itself has no healing properties. The 1923 edition had a simpler recipe: a dash of absinthe, a teaspoon of grenadine, and equal halves of orange juice and gin.

Taste and variations. Absinthe adds a faint anise note, grenadine adds sweetness and colour, and orange juice adds freshness. Relatives of the cocktail include Monkey Gland No. 2, with Benedictine and orange bitters, and the Yokohama, which adds a little vodka.

Why this matters to you. The fruity taste hides the strength: gin and absinthe in a portion are strong spirits. Keep to the measure, since the recipe uses only a little absinthe. The WHO reminds: there is no safe level of alcohol.