Common Market Cocktail: Nine Countries in One Glass

Ingredients

¼ oz cherry liqueure.g. Cherry Heering · Luxardo · Bols · Marie Brizard
¼ oz coffee liqueure.g. Kahlúa · Tia Maria · Mr Black · Borghetti
¼ oz dry white wine
¼ oz orange curaçaoe.g. Pierre Ferrand · Bols · Marie Brizard · Senior Curaçao of Curaçao
¼ oz sloe gine.g. Sipsmith · Plymouth · Hayman's · Gordon's
¼ oz sweet vermouth Carpano Antica Formulae.g. Martini · Cinzano · Carpano · Cocchi · Punt e Mes
¼ oz Elixir d'Anvers Belgian herbal liqueurBuy on Amazon →
¼ oz dry vermouth Noilly Prate.g. Noilly Prat · Martini · Dolin · Cinzano
¼ oz Steinhäger German juniper spirit, such as Schlichtee.g. Schlichte · Steinhäger Urquell

Garnish: No garnish · Ice: Served up, no ice

Method

Chill a cocktail glass.
Measure all nine ingredients into a mixing glass.
Fill with ice and stir for 20 to 25 seconds.
Strain into the chilled glass.

Watch it made

Common Market

Taste

Complex and bittersweet, with cherry, coffee, orange and herbal notes over a juniper backbone. Medium to strong.

History and origin

The Common Market is usually credited to Joe Gilmore, head bartender of the American Bar at the Savoy in London, who created it to mark the United Kingdom joining the European Economic Community in 1973. The idea was political as much as culinary: one ingredient from each of the nine member states, mixed in equal parts.

The list reads like a tour of the continent: British sloe gin, French Noilly Prat, Italian Carpano vermouth, Belgian Elixir d'Anvers, Dutch orange curaçao and German Steinhäger, plus cherry liqueur, coffee liqueur and white wine for the remaining members. The exact brands in the original are not firmly documented, so treat the recipe as a framework. It is more a historical curiosity than an everyday drink, but it makes a great conversation piece.

Bartender tips

Use small, exact measures: with nine ingredients, a heavy pour of one throws the drink off.
Elixir d'Anvers can be hard to find; Bénédictine is the closest substitute.
Stir rather than shake: there is no citrus, so stirring keeps the drink clear and silky.

Variations

Shaken Common Market: Shake the same ingredients hard with ice for a colder, lighter and slightly cloudy drink.
Modern EU twist: Easy twist: swap in one ingredient from each country you have visited, keeping equal parts.