The Churchill cocktail is named after the famous British prime minister and his love of scotch. This cocktail is smokey but bright and lively with the addition of citrus. This drink surprised me as to its delicious combination of lime and the smokey liquid gold of a good scotch. It made a fantastic tipple. It is very easy to drink, and I think it is a cocktail that should be made more often. As with any cocktail with citrus, this should be shaken.
Though The Churchill is named after the famous politician, Churchill himself would never have drunk one. He famously didn’t care much for mixed drinks and preferred his scotch heavily water downed. And one would think Churchill would prefer an expensive rare scotch. But he actually liked Johnny Walker Red, an inexpensive one. He would start the day with a heavily watered-down scotch and drink the whole day long, though with the amount of water in his scotch, he never really even got a buzz.
The cocktail was invented by barman Joe Gilmore from the famous Savoy Hotel’s American bar in London. (Someday, I’ll get to go to this bar, as it is still going strong today.) He and Churchill were friends, and the prime minister even had his own entrance to the hotel. This cocktail was invented to honor him. The cocktail’s recipe was first published in 1939 in Esquire magazine and was widely popular in the 1940s. There has been a bit of a revival of the Churchill with the interest in classic cocktails. I hope even more bars will serve this delicious drink as one of their fabulous tipples. The original cocktail recipe didn’t call for a lime peel garnish, but it makes it beautiful. I served it in a coupe glass, but a martini is also fabulous.
OK, that is all for this week. I hope you are all staying safe and healthy. Please think of others in your choices. We all need to work together to navigate these crazy times. Until next time!
- 1½ oz Scotch a smokey one, is good here.
- ½ oz sweet vermouth
- ½ oz Cointreau or other orange liquor
- ½ oz fresh lime juice
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Chill a martini or coupe glass.
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Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.
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Add the scotch, sweet vermouth, Cointreau, and lime juice.
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Shake until very cold, about 15 seconds.
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Pour into the chilled cocktail glass.
The original recipe doesn't call for a lime garnish. But it makes it look pretty!
