You might readily assume from its makeup that this is from the Tiki cocktail scene, but the Army and Navy, essentially a Gin Fizz but with Orgeat replacing the sugar syrup, likely came from the Army and Navy officers’ club in Washington after an inter-forces football match, or so legend has it.
The original recipe, first published in David Embury’s The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks, 1948, leans too heavily towards the gin. This rather underplays the sours of the lemon and, in particular, the nutty flavour of the orgeat. Modern recipes swerve towards these more heavily.
- 60 ml London Dry gin
- 30 ml fresh lemon juice
- 30 ml orgeat syrup
Shake everything with ice then strain into a chilled coupe or Nick and Nora glass. Add a dash of Angostura bitter, stir and garnish with a slither of grapefruit peel.