The Guard’s Cocktail: A Variation on Many Others

The Guard’s Cocktail is not well-known, but perhaps it should be. It’s similar to a lot of other recipes, but I guess it’s not as good, so those other recipes are more popular: think Martinez, Bel-aire, Satan’s Whiskers, etc. 
To make a Guard’s Cocktail, combine with ice:
  • 2 oz gin
  • 1 oz sweet vermouth
  • 4 dashes curacao

Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass (coupe) and garnish with a cherry (mine are brandy/bourbon/maraschino cherries).

I really like this drink. It has two things I love: gin and sweet vermouth, and the curacao doesn’t muddle it too much like some other drinks do. The drink has a strong alcohol burn, at least at the beginning, but it warmed me up, too. It’s over 100 degrees here, so I didn’t exactly need the warming, but it was still pleasant.

The curacao provides citrus notes, and the cherry gives a slightly sweet bourbon flavor (because mine are steeped in primarily bourbon). By the end, I wanted to try another one, so I, well, did just that.

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