The Army & Navy
We're following on from the Tom Collins with this - the Army & Navy - as you can make this cocktail with almost the exact same ingredients, only this drink lives in more of a realm of complexity than a realm of refreshment. With no stretching here with soda water, and introducing Orgeat - an almond syrup with French origin - it's a drink that allows the spirit to shine through the citrus and the sweetness, without reducing any element that makes it oh so delicious.
While its name seemingly indicates otherwise, the cocktail's origin does not stem from any kind of military or naval background, instead of being inspired by the venue that catapulted the classic White Rum cocktail, the Daquiri, into the stratosphere - Washington's Army & Navy Club. The cocktail itself is in the world of sour - much like the Daiquiri, originally stemming from the original ratio of 8 parts gin:4 parts citrus:4 parts sweetener - was then documented and perfected by David A. Embury in his now esteemed 'cocktail bible' The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks by adjusting that ratio to 8:2:1, letting the spirit do the talking.
And that's why we love an Army & Navy - and it wouldn't really be Navy unless it had Navy Strength Gin in it - so it's a perfect fit for our own Applewood Navy. The citrus highlights from the absurd amount of Desert Limes and Yuzu compliment the lemon within the drink, and the spice and complexity balances perfectly with the orgeat. We love a bit of volume in it, so a few drops of Instafoam or an Egg white give it a voluptuous texture. It's a drink not all have had, but once you do, you'll crave them constantly.
The Army & Navy
45ml Applewood Navy Gin
25ml Lemon Juice
15ml Orgeat
3 Dashes Aromatic Bitters
3 Drops of Instafoam/1 Egg White
Combine all ingredients into a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice and shake hard until ice cold. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with a twist of lemon.
- Tags: Cocktails