Monkey Gland Cocktail

Monkey Gland Cocktail Story

For a testament to how American palettes differed in the past, look no further than the Monkey Gland. Ritz Hotel bartender Frank Meier created the mix of gin, orange juice, absinthe, and grenadine to entice thirsty American tourists into an evening of imbibing at his Parisian bar. Though the drink also appears in Harry McElhone’s 1930 publication, Harry’s ABC’s of Mixing Cocktails, newspapers were sounding off about the popular cocktail as early as 1923. The 1927 publication Barflies and Cocktails reveals that the standard recipe called for equal parts gin and orange juice - perhaps a novel pairing at the time, but a risky bid to sell to a modern drinking public raised on more sour concoctions. Yet with balanced measurements, and careful attention paid to the quality of orange juice and grenadine used, the Monkey Gland lends itself to slyly showcasing the complex interplay of absinthe in a shaken gin cocktail.