Monkey Gland
ClassicGin, orange juice, and a whisper of absinthe. Harry MacElhone's most notoriously named invention.
Bright and citrus-forward, orange juice softening the gin's botanicals, with absinthe's anise note humming underneath and grenadine rounding the edges into something more cocktail than juice.
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Gin
- 1.5 oz Orange Juice
- 2 dashes Absinthe
- 2 dashes Grenadine
- Orange twist · optional garnish
Method
- 1
Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice.
- 2
Shake hard until well chilled.
- 3
Strain into a chilled coupe.
- 4
Garnish with an orange twist.
The Story
Harry MacElhone invented the Monkey Gland in the 1920s at Harry's New York Bar in Paris, naming it after a scandalous — and scientifically dubious — rejuvenation therapy involving monkey-gland grafts that was making tabloid headlines at the time. The drink itself is far tamer than its name: gin and orange juice, dressed up with two dashes each of absinthe and grenadine. It became one of the Jazz Age's most requested cocktails anyway, and it's one of the few drinks from that era whose shock-value name outlived the scandal that inspired it.
Recipe card
The whole recipe in one shareable image.
