The Millionaire Cocktail is not as romanticized as the South Side or as revered as a Whiskey Sour. Little is known about this Prohibition-era cocktail except that it was a popular name for cocktails of that time. We have found five different cocktails carrying the moniker, with recipes varying from whiskey to rum to gin. Even Harry Craddock, author of The Savoy Cocktail Book, listed two completely unrelated recipes as Millionaire Cocktail No. 1 and Millionaire Cocktail No. 2. The first consists of Jamaican rum, apricot brandy, sloe gin, lime juice, and grenadine; the second has anisette, egg white, gin, and absinthe. We have provided the Millionaire recipe from The How and When cocktail book by Hyman Gale and Gerald F. Marco, first printed in 1938. Although it inspired the name for our Billionaire Cocktail (page 64), we have made some slight adjustments to the proportions and added lemon juice for balance.

　　

Ingredients

makes 1 drink

　　2 ounces Knob Creek bourbon

　　3/4 ounce Grand Marnier

　　1 egg white

　　1/2 ounce homemade Grenadine (page 157)

　　1/4 ounce Ricard pastis

　　1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice

　　Freshly grated nutmeg, for garnish

　　

Step 1

Pour the bourbon, liqueur, egg white, grenadine, pastis, and juice into a mixing glass. Add large cold ice cubes and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with the nutmeg.

　　

tasting notes

Step 2

Dominant Flavors: whiskey forward with candied fruit flavors

　　

Step 3

Body: medium, creamy texture due to egg white

　　

Step 4

Dryness: medium

　　

Step 5

Complexity: high

　　

Step 6

Accentuating or Contrasting Flavors: nutmeg and anise flavors against whiskey

　　

Step 7

Finish: medium

　　

Step 8

Glass: cocktail

　　Reprinted with permission from Speakeasy: The Employees Only Guide to Classic Cocktails Reimagined by Jason Kosmas and Dushan Zaric, © 2010 Ten Speed Press. Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.