After experiencing and enjoying the previous version of the Queen Elizabeth Cocktail, I decided to try this version. This one comes from my 1969 edition of the Old Mr. Boston De Luxe Official Bartender’s Guide. I can’t say whether the drink is in the new editions or not, and after trying it, I wonder whether it should be. The drink is also featured in most of the online cocktail compendiums such as supercocktails, or barnone. 

Here’s what you do. In a mixing glass, combine the following:

• 1 1/2 oz gin
• 1/2 oz dry vermouth
• 1 1/2 tsp Benedictine

shake well, and strain into a cocktail glass. 

It’s a lot like a martini, with the addition of the Benedictine, and the flavor it adds is, well, odd. The first sip tastes like a martini, but then the odd flavor kicks in. It’s a flavor profile that isn’t really in fashion in the cocktail world these days. The addition of just a little sweetness from the liquor acts most similarly to bitters. Yes, bitters actually makes a drink a bit sweet. That similarity means that this drink, the Queen Elizabeth Cocktail, is most similar to the original Old Fashioned, such as this one from Esquire online.

It’s a flavor that grows on you, and it’s one that I’m not quite used to…yet. After finishing most of the first drink, I began to crave another one, so it must be pretty good.