Shanghai – Recipe from David Embury’s ‘The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks’

1 part Cointreau 

2 parts Lime Juice 

2 parts Italian Vermouth 

8 parts Rye 

Shake with cracked ice.

This was a funny one, the name is a little incongruous, but I like it for a cocktail name. I think more cocktails should be named after places, I always like ordering one with a ‘name’ instead of something more pun-esque. I decided to have a look online to see if it pops up anywhere throughout history and the results look a lot more modern, a brief search produced nothing with even a vaguely similar recipe, I did however find a real gem in the Times of India Food section.

There version of a Shanghai is as follows

240ml Black Rum

2 teaspoons of grenadine

150ml lemon juice

½ teaspoon of lemon rinds

60ml Pastis

Shake and strain, garnish with fruit.

It then recommends you “Serve this cool cocktail recipe to your guests at your next birthday party, pool party, anniversary or any other such joyous occasion”, personally visiting this joyous occasion sounds like just about the most fun possible, watching a group of people getting hideously plastered after one drink in celebration, this drunk, would be a great fly on the wall moment, I can’t stop thinking big Indian wedding and a drunken dance routine or three.

Anyway, Times of India aside Embury’s version above is a strange one, its not good, but its not terrible, closer to terrible to be honest. The flavours all jar quite badly, and it ends up woefully unbalanced. I guess its towards the end of the book for a reason, are these all the recipes he felt obliged to include, but wouldn’t ever drink himself? Earlier in the book he takes the time to ridicule the bad ones, it’s almost as if he just got a bit tired of the prose and just wanted to get the book finished.