Westchester Special – Recipe below from David Embury’s ‘The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks’ 1951

If we substitute lime juice for the Dubonnet we have the Westchester Special. This is a very dry cocktail. I have already said that French vermouth does not blend as well with whisky as Italian vermouth, nor lime juice as well as lemon. Yet here is a cocktail that uses both French vermouth and lime juice and, at the Westchester Country Club at least, it seems to be reasonably popular. I know better cocktails, but I must admit it is not bad. 

WESTCHESTER SPECIAL 

1 part Lime Juice 

1 part French Vermouth 

4 parts Bourbon 

Shake well with cracked ice.

The Westchester Country Club is a golf course complex about an hour north of Manhattan. It launched amongst much pomp and ceremony in 1922, and from the 1960’s to 2007 hosted the PGA tour in North America. Its closeness to the city has made it a favourite for television personalities, and for a stint prior to when he started suffering from agoraphobia, Howard Hughes.

The drink itself is a nice little sour, the reduced bourbon lets the vermouth play a little more with the overall flavour and works beautifully.

I’m hoping Mr Hughes tucked into one or two of these before flying back home after a cheeky 18 now and then.