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Cocktail History
The Satan’s Whiskers is a classic cocktail that is believed to have been created by Eddie Brandsetter in the early 1900s at his establishment the Embassy Club in Hollywood, California. It is essentially a variation of the Bronx made with gin, vermouth, and citrus, but it adds triple sec to the mix for additional tartness.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
Gin: This is a spirit made with juniper berries, botanicals, and alcohol. We used Prairie Organic Spirits Navy Strength Gin because it has a high alcohol content and features notes of lemon zest, angelica root, and blended spices. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Dry London Spirit in place of the gin.
Blood Orange Gin: This is a spirit made with blood oranges, juniper berries, botanicals, and alcohol. We used Whitley Neill Blood Orange Gin because it has a bright and zesty flavor with notes of tart blood orange. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Orange Sec in place of the gin.
Dry Vermouth: This is a fortified wine made with grapes, sugar, botanicals, herbs, sugar, and alcohol. We used Dolin Dry Vermouth de Chambéry because it has a light and airy flavor profile with notes of Alpine herbs. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Apéritif Dry in place of the dry vermouth.
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.
Triple Sec: This is a liqueur made with bitter oranges, lemons, sugar, water, and alcohol. We used Cointreau because it’s high quality. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Orange Sec in place of the liqueur.
Orange Juice: This is the liquid juice of an orange. We used freshly squeezed orange juice.
Orange Bitters: This is a spirit made with oranges, botanicals, herbs, and alcohol. We used Scrappy’s Bitters Orange Bitters because they offer the classic taste of citrus-flavored bitters. For a mocktail version of this drink, try All The Bitter Non-Alcoholic Orange Bitters in place of the bitters.
Orange Peel: This the peel of an orange that has been cut into a strip.
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.
Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. We used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. We used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.
Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.
Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.
Peeler: This is used to remove the garnish peel from the citrus. We used the OXO Good Grips 2-Piece Peeler Set.
Tasting Notes
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: The original recipe for the Satan’s Whiskers called for a dry gin, but we took the citrus flavor one step further by using a split base of regular gin and blood orange gin. This change made the recipe very sweet and citrusy yet still dry, which Alex preferred. Kendall thought the triple sec was a little overpowering even with the added punch of the blood orange, but overall, we both liked this drink quite a bit.
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.
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.
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Art of Vintage Cocktails by Stephanie Rosenbaum.
Add gin, blood orange gin, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth, triple sec, orange juice, orange bitters, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with orange peel.
Ingredients
Directions
Add gin, blood orange gin, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth, triple sec, orange juice, orange bitters, and cubed ice to a shaker.
Shake for 10-20 seconds.
Strain into a cocktail glass.
Garnish with orange peel.
Make It a Mocktail: Use Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Dry London Spirit in place of the gin, Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Apéritif Dry in place of the dry vermouth, Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Apéritif Rosso in place of the sweet vermouth, Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Orange Sec in place of the liqueur, and All The Bitter Non-Alcoholic Orange Bitters in place of the bitters to try a booze-free version of this drink.
Shop Glassware & Tools
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More Citrus Cocktails
If you like this citrus-forward cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Garibaldi: A cocktail made with orange juice, Campari, and an orange slice
Nucleus Mimosa: A sparkling wine cocktail made with orange juice, cranberry juice, and a lime slice
Gin & Sin: A gin cocktail made with orange juice, lemon juice, grenadine, and an orange twist
Gimlet: A gin cocktail made with lime juice, simple syrup, and a lime wedge
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