Millionaire
COCKTAIL INGREDIENTS:
- 60 ml Bourbon
- 22,5 ml Grand Marnier
- 7,5 ml Absinthe
- 15 ml Fresh Lemon Juice
- 15 ml Grenadine
- 22,5 ml Egg Whites
GARNISH:
- Lemon Twist
INSTRUCTIONS:
• Combine all of the ingredients except egg whites in a cocktail shaker.
• Add ice and shake until chilled and diluted.
• Remove the ice, add egg whites and dry reverse shake (without ice).
• Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
• Garnish with a lemon twist.
Cocktail author: original recipe has been published for the first time in Harry McElhone's 1927 book Barflies and Cocktails.
Millionaire is a prohibition era cocktail with a long history and kind of a notorious reputation. The build of this cocktail seems simple and straight forward on paper, but it requires a bit of effort to get it right. What many have experienced with this drink is that egg whites often curdle, due to high acidity and alcohol levels. I will be honest, I have experienced this issue time and again, until I have tried reverse dry shake with egg whites added after cocktail is cooled and diluted.
Base of the cocktail is bourbon with aged oak, caramel and vanilla notes tying nicely with aged cognac and orange flavours of Grand Marnier. Lemon juice brings fresh fragrant tartness to the mix helping to offset the harshness of the spirits. Grenadine blends in seamlessly with the lemon and orange notes, somewhat balancing the tartness with sweet and slightly tangy fruitiness. A generous dose of absinthe adds a punch of anise, which kind of overtakes other more subtle notes (in my opinion, an absinthe rinse would be a more suitable option, unless you are a great fan of anise). Finally, egg whites give the cocktail that delicious foamy, velvety texture improving the drinking experience immensely.
All in all, Millionaire is a cocktail with potential, even though I find it a bit off balance. But that is just my opinion, based on my tastes. I’m sure there is plenty of people that will find this cocktail delicious.
