Fine and Dandy Cocktail
I regularly meet with a girlfriend for an escape day…or even a weekend. They are justified as a sort of ‘sanity retention’ exercise, and on one particular occasion the rest and recuperation didn’t come a moment too soon. Both of us were pretty much on our knees….almost transparent….running on air.
I knew we needed to run, at least for a few minutes, on something a bit stronger, so I took down to the retreat in Somerset where we were due to meet, a carefully researched cocktail…. the Fine and Dandy.
Having visited the American Bar at the Savoy (follow this link for the post all about that) I naturally bought the Savoy Cocktail Book and flicking through I found this vintage cocktail which seemed to fit in seamlessly with our eccentric surroundings. In the sitting room was a deliciously rusting 1965 Ford Anglia Estate and a plaster cast lion made for a client of the owners, who wanted it to hang his dressing gown on. As one does.
Not a cocktail for sissies
More importantly, the Fine and Dandy is definitely not a cocktail for sissies. We needed reenergising and this was the cocktail to do it. “Gosh, this has a bit of a kick to it!” gasped my pal on first sip, and then, “Ah, this is quite knock out….one of these will be enough…”. We both fell silent for a moment or two after that, savouring, as perspective slowly seeped back into our lives.
Advantage over a gin fizz? It travels a lot better!
It’s very lemony, so in the Saucy Dressings’ January menus this cocktail is paired with smoked salmon canapés.
Here’s how to make this fresh, fruity, sophisticated cocktail with PUNCH.
Recipe for a Fine and Dandy Cocktail
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 45ml/3 tbsps fresh lemon juice (about what a medium lemon will produce)
- 45ml/3 tbsps Grand Marnier or Cointreau, or if you are a perfectionist, De Kuyper Triple Sec
- 90ml/6 tbsp gin
- few drops of Angostura bitters
Method
- Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
- Add the ingredients listed above.
- Shake and strain.
For a Campari gin fizz recipe follow this link.
For a tangerine gin fizz recipe follow this link.
Louis Armstrong with Fine and Dandy
