the Gin is IN

Almond is one flavor which I think is particularly underused  in cocktail mixology. I’d likely chalk this up to a couple of things. Amaretto is cloying, over-sweet, and does not mix particularly well with gin. Two, the flavor that I (and many others) consider to be almond is a peculiar mouth filling sweetness. Nearly impossible to get from the nuts yourself. So when you do find a gin cocktail which uses almond and does it this well you stop and take pause. I believe the use of Orgeat is largely responsible for this. Let’s take a detour and look at Orgeat:

What is Orgeat?!
It is a syrup made from a combination of sweeteners and aromatics. Almonds, sugar, rose water and orange flower water.  The word Orgeat literally stems from the latin which indicates “with Barley.” The original version was actually made from raw barley and then later sweetened with sugar. The almonds were added much later as a substitute for the barley. The name Orgeat is now a misnomer, as modern Orgeat no longer contains the barley that bestowed the beverage its name.

Orge (french) – Barley

My Note: I think that housemade Orgeat tastes notable different than the closest substitute available to most home bartenders which is Monin’s almond syrup.

Back to the Cocktail:
The ratios are all over in this drink. But if we were to approximate, nearly all of them are close to 4:1 for the Gin: Lemon. I think this works fairly well. I think if you go with any more lemon the drink takes on almost too much of lemony flavor. I think this is similar to the phenomenon of many traditional Aviation recipes.

As for the Orgeat, many of the recipes do suggest using Monin. Monin I think is a bit sweeter than true Orgeat, so step off the gas a little when using the syrup. Add a bit more if using a housemade Orgeat. The ratio of Gin:Orgeat is somewhere between 4:1 and 8:1.  Go 4:1 or slightly higher on the real stuff, go closer to 6:1 if using the syrup.

One recipe suggests adding bitters. I’m not convinced that actually does anything to the drink to warrant me recommending it. It looks flashy behind the bar, but that’s about it. Maybe if there was an almond bitters on the market, I may change my mind. I’m also not crazy about the addition of mineral water to this cocktail. The only thing it does of note is take the edge off, but as the Army Navy cocktail is rather an easy going drink in the first place, I’m not sure I can recommend it.

The Gin is In’s Army & Navy Cocktail
4 parts gin
1 part lemon juice
1 part homemade Orgeat
Garnish with lemon peel.
Shake with ice, strain and serve in a chilled cocktail glass. 

Sources
Source #1: Daily Tippler
Source #2: No 209 Gin Cocktail Guide
Source #3: The Bollard
Source #4: Diffords Guide