Deep ruby in the glass, with the tart plum fruit of sloe gin wrapped around warm bourbon vanilla and a faint scent of peach. Two ingredients and a dash of bitters, stirred cold: short, simple and surprisingly moreish.
1 oz
bourbone.g. Maker's Mark · Buffalo Trace · Woodford Reserve · Wild Turkey · Jim Beam
1 oz
sloe gine.g. Sipsmith · Plymouth · Hayman's · Gordon's
2 dash
peach bitterse.g. Fee Brothers · The Bitter Truth · Bittermens
Garnish: Lemon twist (optional) · Ice: Ice cubes
Nixon
Fruity and warming with tart sloe plum, bourbon vanilla and caramel, and a hint of peach. Strong and gently sweet.
The Nixon is credited to Joe Gilmore, the long-serving head bartender of the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel in London, who created it to honor a visit to Britain by Richard Nixon. Gilmore made a habit of naming drinks after famous guests and events; his Moonwalk, created for the Apollo 11 landing, is another example.
The pairing makes neat diplomatic sense: American bourbon meets sloe gin, a traditional British liqueur made by steeping sloe berries in gin with sugar. Peach bitters, a classic American bar ingredient, add aromatic lift. It is a straightforward, spirit-forward drink in the old-fashioned mold rather than an elaborate creation.
Joe Gilmore, head bartender of the American Bar at the Savoy in London, in honor of a visit by Richard Nixon.
A liqueur made by steeping sloe berries (the fruit of the blackthorn) in gin with sugar.
Yes. It contains only bourbon, sloe gin and bitters, so it is a spirit-forward drink.
The perfect sound
A serious bourbon for a turbulent political era.
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