CITC: Cocktail Class Tasters - Roaring 1920s

At Cocktails in the City over the weekend we held a trio of mini cocktail making classes at One Marylebone, as part of the a 3-day celebration of all things cocktail-related.

Guests were given the chance to try their hand at making three iconic cocktails, hailing from three idiosyncratic eras in the history of mixology – the innovative present-day, working backwards through the flamboyant 1980s, all way back in time to the roaring, revolutionary 1920s.

This is probably the most iconic and formative era of cocktail culture. Barrel smashing, flapper shaking, and generally topsy-turvy, the 1920s was the decade that defined some of drinks culture’s most iconic libations.

In our mini session,we decided to guide guests through the assembly of one of the period’s quintessential cocktails: The Alexander.

This tonic has long been noted for its versatility – exemplified in the numerous spin-offs and renditions it has spawned such as the Brandy Alexander, Alexander the Great, and Alexander’s Sister.

For this delve into the depths of bartender lore, we decided to use Lucas Bols’ Genever.

Lucas Bols is one of the oldest distilled spirits companies in the world, opening the doors of its very first distillery in Amsterdam all the way back in 1575. Bols’ Genever provides a unique opportunity to taste the maltier style of gin’s original form using an original recipe, which can be traced back as far as 1820, meaning that it may very well have been used in the earliest of Alexanders.

In the taster class, our guests had the chance to make choices that impacted the character of the drink, and imprinted their own on it in the process.

Thus, the recipe is variable and can be as simple or as complicated as you like. However, to make a classic 1920s Alexander you start by chilling a coupette glass by brimming it with crushed ice. After this, take 50ml of Bols Genever Gin, 25ml of Cream, 25ml of Milk, and 12.5ml of Modifying syrup and pour all this into a shaker.

Empty the coupette glass of crushed ice. Meanwhile, shake the ingredients well, to make sure they’re fully emulsified, and strain into your chilled glass.

Finally, select a spice (traditionally nutmeg but this can be anything you like) and dust over the top. For added personality, you can make your own stencil shapes before dusting so that anything from your name, to a pretty pattern, or even your own face, can have pride of place atop your beverage. The sky is the creative limit.

This done, all that’s left is to drink and enjoy.