Floater – Recipe below from ‘Old Waldorf Bar Days’

There is equal authority for a contention that this was called after a racehorse owned by the late James R. Keene, or after an individual, numerically important, who was transported into various precincts at different hours of Election Day and thereby enabled to vote early and often, as the saying was; or, the Floater may have changed his residence from a strong precinct of his political faith to one that was weaker, in order to make his vote count where it was needed. James R. Keene had a horse that was named Voter, and another that was called Ballot Box, and it may be that persons familiar with the race-track will dig up one that was called Floater. Anyhow, if there is such a horse it was named after the creature whose vote on Election Day had a plurally peripatetic quality. 

Fill glass with shaved Ice 

Three-fourths Gilka Kummel 

One-fourth Brandy

Regardless of whom this drink is named after its pretty vile. I’m a fan of Cognac, and a fan of Kummel, but the two of them should not be hanging out in these proportions in this drink. Kummel is damn sweet, a liqueur, and with those proportions, even when I tried adding water to dilute it just tastes like drinking sugar. I could imagine it working a little better if the proportions were changed around, but not like this.

Maybe this is a play, the drink being as grim as the voting practice after which its named, as a way of taste shaming? Whatever the origin, its not a drink I care or dare to repeat.