Old Flame Cocktail Recipe
The Old Flame cocktail has a nostalgic feel, as you might expect from the name. It’s a riff on the Negroni, with orange notes to balance the Campari, vermouth and gin.
Dale DeGroff invented it almost by accident. He’d chosen Negronis to serve with a dinner, and the people he served it to those who didn’t like the bitters-based flavor. He asked the bartender to add in orange juice and Cointreau, and the Old Flame was born.
If you dislike Negronis, or the combination of sweet vermouth and Campari, you should still give this drink a chance. The orange juice and orange liqueur really do take the edge off without turning it into a candy drink.
Instead, it’s fruity and delicious, and the bitter notes from the Campari are more subdued. The flavors here are mainly cherry and orange, with herbal notes from the gin and vermouth, along with a hint of grape.
You can use any brand of ingredients you like. For the gin, Hendricks and Bombay Sapphire both make good choices, but most any gin will work.
The orange liqueur doesn’t have to be Cointreau. Triple sec, a clear curacao or even Patron Citronge will work just fine.
Fresh squeezed orange juice is ideal. Go for Cara Cara oranges when you can get them. The rest of the time, anything fresh squeezed is better than bottled.
Old Flame Cocktail Recipe
The Old Flame cocktail has a nostalgic feel, as you might expect. It's a riff on the Negroni, with orange notes to balance the Campari, vermouth and gin.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce gin
- 1/2 ounce Martini & Rossi sweet vermouth
- 1/4 ounce Campari
- 1/2 ounce Cointreau
- 1 1/2 ounce fresh squeezed orange juice
Instructions
- Fill a shaker with ice cubes.
- Add all ingredients.
- Shake until well-chilled.
- Strain the mixture into a chilled cocktail glass.
- Garnish with an orange peel.
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