This recipe was featured as part of our story on The Gypsy Queen.
60ml Vodka
30ml Benedictine
1ds Angostura bitters
Stir over ice, strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a small lemon twist.
These proportions are from the original Russian Tea Room version of the 1930s. There is room to go dryer, which is what David Embury suggests. A ratio of 15ml Benedictine to 75ml vodka still yields a very distinctive drink.
Numerous variations exist. David Embury recommends orange bitters. Other herbal liqueurs, like Chartreuse, can substitute for the Benedictine. Some old recipes even add lemon and orange juices to reinterpret it as a sour. Finally, the cocktail can be enriched by replacing 15ml of the vodka with cognac and cutting back the Benedictine – it becomes almost a delicate take on the B&B.
