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Celebrate Repeal Day 2014

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Last Updated on June 5, 2019 by

Around our house, we are big fans of cocktails so the anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition on December 5, 1933 is a day to celebrate.  With Repeal Day falling on a Friday this year, we decided to have ourselves a nice celebration with a couple of classic Prohibition era cocktails.

The White Lady

The first one we started out with is a classic gin cocktail called the White Lady.  Perfected in Harry’s New York Bar in Paris (of Hemingway fame) this drink combines gin and Cointreau and fresh lemon juice with an egg white to give it a creamy herbal flavor with a tart lemon finish.

The Old Fashioned

Our second drink is the classic Old Fashioned, which is reputed to be one of (if not the) original cocktail. With the resurgence in bourbon and whiskey’s popularity, this drink has jumped from being your Grandpa’s drink of choice to a hip new drink that every cocktail bar has to have on its menu.  Simple and delightfully boozy, this classic give you a nice warmth from the bourbon and the homemade brandied cherries used as a garnish to give a bit of sweetness to it.

The Italian 75

Our final drink we had is the Italian 75, a modification of the classic French 75 cocktail.  The old standby French 75 came about as a favorite during and after World War I when soldiers back from the front needed a strong drink and the champagne many of them were drinking lacked the punch required to give them the kick that came from battle.  Named after the famous Canon de 75 Modèle 1897, aka the French 75 which was a powerful anti aircraft and anti personnel cannon that was a favorite of Allied troops and this drink packed the punch that the famed gun packed by combining gin with champagne.  The Italian 75 replaces the champagne used in the French 75 with Italian Moscato D’Asti (a sweet sparkling white wine) to give this drink a light sweet bubbly feel with a refreshing herbal note.  The sweetness of the Moscato D’Asti picks up the citrus notes from the lemon and Cointreau to give it a brightness that makes this a very interesting drink worthy of celebrating with!

The White Lady

  • 2 oz London Dry Gin
  • .5 oz Cointreau
  • .5 oz lemon juice
  • 1 egg white

Combine all the ingredients in a shaker.  Dry shake (shake without ice) for about 15 seconds.  Add crushed ice and shake again for another 15-20 seconds.  Strain into a chilled cocktail coupe or martini glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

The Old Fashioned

  • 2 oz Bourbon
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 dashes bitters
  • 1 slice of orange with rind still attached
  • 1 cherry (use a brandied cherry if possible)

Place the orange slice, brandied cherry, bitters and sugar into the bottom of a rocks glass and muddle to release the orange oils and juice and dissolve the sugar.  Add in bourbon and give a stir.  Fill with ice and serve with a brandied cherry garnish.

The Italian 75

  • 1.5 oz London Dry Gin
  • .5 oz Cointreau
  • .5 oz lemon juice
  • 4-5 oz Moscato D’Asti

Place the gin, cointreau and lemon juice into a highball or a large wine glass. Top the glass with the Moscato D’Asti.  Cut a long lemon twist from the lemon peel and twist over the glass to release the oils.  Add the twist to the drink as a garnish.

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Cynthia Cover

Wednesday 10th of December 2014

Wow, I have got to join in on this!! And the homemade brandied cherries....talk about yum:)

The 'Noms.

Thursday 11th of December 2014

The homemade cherries will spoil those neon red ones for you for life!

Mardra

Wednesday 10th of December 2014

Brilliant! WHY isn't this a national holiday?

The 'Noms.

Thursday 11th of December 2014

I know! This is totally one of those days that should be celebrated. The guys over at Salt 88 were doing a Repeal Weekend!

Kim

Tuesday 9th of December 2014

Thanks for including the simple recipes for these - I'm a novice when it comes to mixing drinks!

The 'Noms.

Wednesday 10th of December 2014

Keep following us Kim, you will find lots of fun drinks. I usually try to get the recipe down to easy to understand steps! Mr. Nom

Marsha

Monday 8th of December 2014

I will have to try the "italian" since i love Hendricks gin - is that what you used?

The 'Noms.

Monday 8th of December 2014

Yep we used the Hendrick's as our gin. You could use a bit more of it if you wanted it to have more gin notes.

Jamie | Jamie's Recipes

Sunday 7th of December 2014

Oh the egg white sounds... interesting. Cheers!

The 'Noms.

Sunday 7th of December 2014

That egg white is actually really good. Makes the drink creamy and foamy. Nice thing is the alcohol in the booze "cooks" the egg in the same manner as a ceviche. Totally worth a try!

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