Orange Blossom Cocktail

The Orange Blossom cocktail is a drink built with gin, orange juice, and sweet vermouth!

Orange Blossom Cocktail Info

Good drinks were not always easy to find during Prohibition's dark days. People often mixed liquors with juice, fortified wine, or other illegal spirits to mask the unpleasant taste of bathtub Gin and other illicitly produced spirits. The Orange Blossom cocktail was made with gin and orange juice and sweet vermouth. It became trendy in the 1920s.

The Orange Blossom is somewhat similar to the Bronx Cocktail (gin and dry vermouth). It's a great brunch drink but of course! You can still enjoy one of these drinks no matter what time it is during the day.

The Orange Blossom recipe is found in "The Old Waldorf–Astoria Bar Book" by Albert Stevens Crockett. It was published in 1935. The author suggests that a young bartender created the cocktail with romantic spring ideas, but it is more likely that it was made by someone who was a young bridegroom. We can still thank Crockett for preserving the recipe.

Fresh juice is the best way to make Orange Blossoms for yourself. It brightens the drink and makes it more appealing. You are free to experiment with the gin; I decided to make this with a pink gin, which worked out great. A modern style is better for those who prefer gin with more citrus, but if you enjoy your dry gins, do not hesitate to use that in this recipe. According to "The Old Waldorf–Astoria Bar Book," the best choice for this drink is an Old Tom Gin. Old Tom was popular during Prohibition, and you can still find it today if you want to embrace your Prohibition-era sensibilities.