The Biltong Dry Cocktail

Searching for the recipe for the original Dubonnet cocktail, I discovered the impact of current events at the turn of the 20^th Century in South Africa, on the international cocktail scene.

The legendary head bartender of the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London, Harry Craddock, published the Savoy Cocktail Book in 1930. The book is still in print today.  The Savoy Cocktail Book contains 750 cocktail recipes. Eleven of these recipes enjoy very South African references in their name and ingredients, one of them is Caperitif.

Harry Craddock in the American Bar - Source: https://sipsmith.com

The American Bar circa 1931 - Source: https://london.eater.com

Caperitif is a vermouth style drink that was manufactured in the early 1900’s by the Cape based, Castle Wine and Brandy Company. Caperitif captured the imagination of bartenders at the American Bar in the Savoy Hotel. Caperitif was used extensively, it seems, to make South African inspired cocktails. With the Gold Rush and Second Boer War fresh in the memories of people, they served contemporary cocktails like the Barney Barnato, Cape Town Cocktail, Oom Paul, Spion Kop, and Transvaal, amongst others. The Savoy Cocktail book contains at least 18 cocktails with Caperitif as an ingredient. 

With a supply of Dubonnet, it is a good opportunity to try a range of ‘new’ cocktails. To my surprise, I found a very iconic South African themed cocktail in the Savoy Cocktail book. On page 29 there is a recipe for a Biltong Dry Cocktail.

How to make a Biltong Dry Cocktail

1 Dash Orange Bitters

¼ Dubonnet

¼ Gin

½ Caperitif

Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Caperitif had disappeared completely. It has in recent years, been revived by a passionate Danish mixologist who had been searching for this “ghost ingredient”. He teamed up with a South African winemaker and in 2015, the modern version of Caperitif was launched. Thanks to these developments, once popular cocktails like the Biltong Dry, can be revived.

Here are a few hints for the young mixer from page 9 of the Savoy Cocktail Book.

“

1.     Ice is nearly always an absolute essential for any cocktail.

2.     Never use the same ice twice.

3.     Remember that the ingredients mix better in a shaker rather larger than is necessary to contain them.

4.     Shake the shaker as hard as you can: don’t just rock it: you are trying to wake it up, not send it to sleep.

5.     If possible, ice your glasses before using them.

6.     Drink your cocktail as soon as possible.”