Suffering Bastard
ClassicGin, brandy, and ginger beer. A wartime hangover cure.
Crisp and spicy, with ginger beer's bite leading the way. Gin and brandy give it an aromatic, faintly herbal core, while lime and bitters keep it dry and lively — refreshing enough to earn its reputation as a cure.
Ingredients
- 1 oz Gin
- 1 oz Cognac
- 0.5 oz Fresh Lime Juice
- 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
- Ginger Beer to top
- Mint sprig · optional garnish
- Orange slice · optional garnish
Method
- 1
Add the gin, cognac, lime juice, and bitters to a shaker with ice.
- 2
Shake briefly to combine.
- 3
Strain into an ice-filled copper mug or highball glass.
- 4
Top with ginger beer and garnish with a mint sprig and an orange slice.
The Story
Joe Scialom invented the Suffering Bastard at Cairo's Shepheard's Hotel around 1942, first as a morning-after remedy for hungover British officers. Legend has it that during the Battle of El Alamein, troops sent word for cases of the drink to be shipped to the front. Equal parts gin and brandy under a lash of ginger beer, it blurs the line between tiki and highball.
Recipe card
The whole recipe in one shareable image.
