The Honeymoon
COCKTAIL INGREDIENTS:
- 60 ml Calvados
- 15 ml Orange Curacao
- 15 ml Benedictine
- 15 ml Fresh Lemon Juice
GARNISH:
- Lemon Twist
- Mint Leaf
INSTRUCTIONS:
• Combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker.
• Add ice and shake until chilled.
• Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
• Garnish with a lemon twist and a mint leaf.
Cocktail author: first published in Hugo Ensslin’s 1917 book Recipes for Mixed Drinks.
The Honeymoon can trace back its history to the beginning of the 20th century. However, it fell into obscurity a few decades later and only resurfaced again at the turn of this century.
Build of the cocktail is pretty simple and straightforward. Base is formed by calvados or good quality applejack with distinct warming notes of apples, pears and subtle hints of vanilla, walnuts and oak. (In this particular cocktail, the base spirit is truly the foundation of the cocktail, so cheap stuff will not cut it, I recommend at least VSOP calvados.) Orange (Dry) Curacao, introduces orange flavour wrapped in aged cognac, which seamlessly combines with the base spirit. Benedictine is probably the most noticeable ingredient after calvados. It gives cocktail sweet herbal kick and breathes a touch of complexity into it, which goes a long way turning this cocktail into what it is. Final addition of lemon juice adds a bit of acidic freshness to the mix which is nicely balanced by the liqueur.
All in all, The Honeymoon is a simple and delicious cocktail, perfectly suited for home bartenders. Overall cocktail profile stays on the dry side with subtle hits of sweetness and tartness. I imagine it would be a great way to introduce sour style cocktails to a spirit forward, dry, stir-down cocktail enthusiasts.