Savoy Cocktail Book

Harry Craddock, the famous barman and author of the legendary Savoy Cocktail Book, which was published in 1830, described the Alaskan cocktail and helped it to become better known.

A cocktail that only needs three ingredients and is currently being rediscovered, and rightly so: It tastes great, looks good and the ingredients are always available in a well-stocked bar, at least for all GloriousMe readers:

4 cl gin

1 cl Chartreuse Jaune

1 strip of lemon zest from a natural lemon

The gin and yellow Chartreuse are stirred with ice in a cocktail shaker and then strained into an elegant glass. A strip of natural lemon peel is twisted over the top and then placed in the glass.

Few ingredients for lots of enjoyment

In the original recipe and in many other cocktail almanacs, a drop of orange bitters is added. Not necessary.

The yellow Chartreuse already contains 130 plant extracts. The natural lemon adds some sweet acidity. The orange bitters, which contain further extracts of oranges, bitter orange and a range of spices such as cloves, coriander and cardamom, are no longer needed in our opinion.

For the gin variety, we recommend a gin that essentially concentrates on the basic ingredient of juniper and does not add 46 other botanicals.

The Columbus of the tsars

The exact origin of the name Alaska for this cocktail is not known.

With all the herbs and berries that the cocktail contains, mainly thanks to the yellow Chartreuse, one involuntarily thinks of the endless expanses of the largest state in the United States of America and the nature there.

Vitus Jonassen Bering, the Danish naval officer and expedition leader in the service of the Russian Tsar, was the first European to set foot on Alaskan soil in 1648, where he encountered the indigenous people of Alaska, the Aleuts.

Later, the Bering Sea and the Bering Strait were named after him.

The fur trade was the keyword and Spain and England also attempted to colonize Alaska. Russia finally prevailed and Alaska became Russian territory.

However, when things did not go well for Russia during the Crimean War (1853 – 1856) and large human losses and debts were incurred, the brother of the then Russian Tsar prevailed, who saw the colony of Alaska as a pure luxury that Russia could and should no longer afford.

Seward’s expensive ice box

Negotiations with the United States of America began and Alaska was finally sold from Russia to America in 1867 for 7.2 million US dollars in gold.

This relatively low price seemed reasonable at the time: The fur trade had not really been profitable for Russia and no one had any idea at the time that Alaska had extensive oil and gold deposits.

The chief negotiator on the American side at the time, Senator William H. Seward, had to listen to a lot of ridicule after the acquisition. People spoke of “Seward’s expensive ice box” and “Seward’s folly”.

History proved him right and the Kremlin must have regretted the sale of Alaska several times.

A strong drink

The Alaska Cocktail is no lightweight, as both the gin and Chartreuse liqueur it contains are high in alcohol.

What we like about it is its straightforwardness. The Alaska is miles away from adventurous cocktails with lots of ingredients and even more ice cubes in the glass.

Quality instead of quantity

A nice Alaskan cocktail to get you in the mood for the weekend is a good idea, especially if the week has been more than exhausting.

You are not always lucky enough to have a well-kept bar nearby. A bar whose bartender works with cool precision and who knows how to assess his guests with years of experience and a good knowledge of human nature.

A bar with favorable lighting and a stimulating atmosphere that flows reliably with good conversation, relaxed laughter from guests and the subtle sounds of ice cream being whisked or shaken.

While for a classic Martini cocktail we would prefer a bar in New York, Chicago, Bangkok, Tokyo or London, formerly also in Hong Kong, the Alaska is a drink whose herbs and strength can also be enjoyed at home.

Ada Coleman bartending at the Savoy Hotel in London, circa 1920 © Alamy Stock Photo

Even one of the most famous bars in the world, the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London, at whose counter Ada Coleman also prepared the cocktails as head bartender for twenty-three years “You went to the Savoy for a sophisticated drink” felt the loss of many guests who could no longer or no longer wanted to travel due to COVID restrictions and had to lay off the head bartender and most of their staff at the height of the COVID crisis.

There are many bars – but really good bars are rare.

Cheers

May current history also take a positive, liberal turn.

We would like to remind you that next Sunday, October 23, 2022, the Peace Prize 2022 of the German Book Trade will be awarded to Serhij Zhadan. The award ceremony in Frankfurt’s Paulskirche will be broadcast live on ARD at 10.45 am on that day.

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Cover photo © Alamy Stock Photo, illustration © GloriousMe