Stirred until frosty, pale amber and scented with mint, the Cooperstown tastes like a Perfect Martini that stepped out into a summer garden. The mint is subtle, a cool lift rather than a mojito.
1½ oz
London dry gine.g. Tanqueray · Gordon's · Beefeater · Bombay Sapphire · Sipsmith
¾ oz
sweet vermouthe.g. Martini · Cinzano · Carpano · Cocchi · Punt e Mes
¾ oz
dry vermouthe.g. Noilly Prat · Martini · Dolin · Cinzano
2 dash
orange bitterse.g. Angostura · Regans' Orange Bitters · Fee Brothers · The Bitter Truth
2 leaves
mint leaves
Garnish: Mint sprig (optional) · Ice: Served up, no ice
Cooperstown
Dry and herbal with gentle sweetness from the red vermouth and a fresh hint of mint. Strong and spirit-forward.
The Cooperstown is a pre-Prohibition cocktail recorded in Albert Stevens Crockett's Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book of 1935, a collection of drinks served at the famous New York hotel bar before 1920. It takes its name from Cooperstown, the village in upstate New York.
In structure it is a Perfect Martini, meaning gin with equal parts of sweet and dry vermouth, with the unusual addition of fresh mint. That makes it a close relative of the Bronx, which uses orange juice instead of mint. The drink stayed obscure for decades and has been rediscovered by bartenders who dig through old bar books for forgotten classics.
A Martini made with equal parts sweet and dry vermouth instead of dry vermouth only.
The name refers to the village of Cooperstown, New York, which is today best known for the Baseball Hall of Fame. The cocktail itself is older than the museum.
Stir it. It contains only spirits and vermouths, so stirring gives the clearest, silkiest texture.
The perfect sound
Old time baseball town nostalgia.
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