Remember The Maine

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Cocktail History

The Remember The Maine is a vintage cocktail that was created in Cuba in the 1930s before it was eventually discovered by Charles H. Baker during the Cuban Revolution and was published in his book The Gentleman’s Companion. Described as part Manhattan and part Sazerac, it also calls for rye whiskey, sweet vermouth, and absinthe but adds deep cherry flavors that make it entirely different from the other classics. Though the recipe gained fame around the time Baker’s book was published, its name refers to the Maine, a U.S. naval ship whose sinking sparked the Spanish American War thirty-five years earlier.

Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Rye: This is a type of whiskey made with at least 51% rye grain, malted barley, corn, and water. We used Heaven Hill Distillery Rittenhouse Rye because it has a rich and clean taste with notes of nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, cocoa, and citrus. For a mocktail version of this drink, try The Gospel Responsible Rye Non-Alcoholic Whiskey in place of the whiskey.

Sweet Vermouth: This is a fortified wine made with grapes, sugar, botanicals, herbs, sugar, and alcohol. We used Dolin Vermouth de Chambery Rouge because it’s a high quality vermouth with notes of herbs, coriander, hyssop, rhubarb, and citrus. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Apéritif Rosso in place of the sweet vermouth.

Heering Cherry Liqueur: This is a liqueur made in Denmark with Stevens cherries, baking spices, almonds, sugar, and alcohol. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Monin Premium Cherry Syrup in place of the cherry liqueur.

Absinthe: This is a spirit made with anise, wormwood, fennel, botanicals, and alcohol. We used Great Lakes Distillery Amerique 1912 Absinthe Verte because it’s flavorful and made locally to us. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Absinthe in place of the absinthe.

Cherry: This is a fruit that has been soaked in brandy and rich syrup. We used Luxardo Maraschino Cherries because they’re high quality and delicious.

Bartending Tools

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:

Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Mixing Glass: This is used to hold the ingredients while they’re being stirred. We used the Viski 17 oz Cocktail Mixing Glass.

Bar Spoon: This is used to stir ingredients. We used the Barfly Stainless Steel Teardrop Bar Spoon.

Julep Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is stirred. We used the A Bar Above Julep Strainer.

Cocktail Pick: This is used to hold the garnish. We used one from the I-MART Stainless Steel Cocktail Pick Set.

Tasting Notes

The Remember The Maine begins with notable absinthe aromas and leads with a punchy rye-forward taste that is rounded out with some cherry and vanilla sweetness, and it has a spicy but smooth finish with another lasting hit of anise.

Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: If you already enjoy the formerly mentioned cocktails and their boozy flavors like Alex does, you’ll find this one to be very pleasing. He especially loved the Remember The Maine’s balance of spiciness and sweetness and thought it unseated the Manhattan in his personal rankings. Kendall, on the other hand, found the flavors to be a bit too spirit-forward for her liking but agreed with Alex’s opinion of this being at the top of the list in this family of recipes.

Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.

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Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.

Take Our Quiz →

Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“This Manhattan and Sazerac one-two punch is a pretty good riff for somebody who likes the idea of a Manhattan but doesn’t love its lack of complexity. I’m not the biggest fan of Manhattans myself, but I did enjoy this quite a bit because it has some extra notes of flavor that make it unique. Like the Sazerac, the absinthe rinse gives it a boozier feeling even though it doesn’t add much alcohol, if any at all, and the use of a bit of cherry liqueur adds some complexity for the palate.”

Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐
“My palate is much more underdeveloped than Alex’s is, so I don’t yet enjoy the taste of Manhattans or Sazeracs. And since this is essentially one of those with cherry added, I didn’t love this one either. It was certainly more palatable than a classic Manhattan thanks for the cherry liqueur, but I still shivered from the bitters and booziness.”

Recipe

This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks by the editors of PUNCH and Megan Krigbaum.

Sale
The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks with 150 Recipes
The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks with 150 Recipes
Hardcover Book; Editors of PUNCH (Author); English (Publication Language); 352 Pages – 09/05/2017 (Publication Date) – Ten Speed Press (Publisher)
$13.05 Amazon Prime

AuthorThe Essential Cocktail Book

Yields1 ServingPrep Time5 mins

Ingredients
 2 oz Rye
 ¾ oz Sweet Vermouth
  oz Heering Cherry Liqueur
 1 dash Absinthe
 1 Cherry

Method
1

Rinse cocktail glass with absinthe by adding a dash to the glass, rolling it around until it's coated, and discarding the excess.

2

Add rye, sweet vermouth, cherry liqueur, and cubed ice a to a mixing glass.

3

Stir for 30-45 seconds.

4

Strain into absinthe-rinsed cocktail glass.

5

Garnish with cherry.

Ingredients

Ingredients
 2 oz Rye
 ¾ oz Sweet Vermouth
  oz Heering Cherry Liqueur
 1 dash Absinthe
 1 Cherry

Directions

Method
1

Rinse cocktail glass with absinthe by adding a dash to the glass, rolling it around until it's coated, and discarding the excess.

2

Add rye, sweet vermouth, cherry liqueur, and cubed ice a to a mixing glass.

3

Stir for 30-45 seconds.

4

Strain into absinthe-rinsed cocktail glass.

5

Garnish with cherry.

Remember The Maine

Make It a Mocktail: Use The Gospel Responsible Rye Non-Alcoholic Whiskey in place of the whiskey, Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Apéritif Rosso in place of the sweet vermouth, Monin Premium Cherry Syrup in place of the cherry liqueur, and Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Absinthe in place of the absinthe to try a booze-free version of this drink.

Shop Glassware & Tools

Find collections of cocktail glassware and bartending tools we recommend for your home bar in our Amazon shop.

More Classic Cocktails

If you like this classic cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:

Boo Radley Cocktail Recipe

Boo Radley: A bourbon cocktail made with Cynar, cherry liqueur, a lemon peel, and an orange peel

Blood & Sand Cocktail Recipe

Blood & Sand: A Scotch cocktail made with cherry liqueur, sweet vermouth, orange juice, and a cherry

Brooklyn Cocktail Recipe

Brooklyn: A rye cocktail made with dry vermouth, maraschino liqueur, and Amer Picon

Brain Duster Cocktail Recipe

Brain Duster: A rye cocktail made with absinthe, sweet vermouth, Angostura aromatic bitters, and a lemon twist

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