Highballs and long drinks · Cognac · IBA official
Two spirits sound like a lot, but lime and a long pour of fiery ginger beer turn this into a crisp, spicy highball. Aromatic bitters and a sprig of mint on top make it smell as fresh as it tastes.
1 oz
cognac or brandye.g. Hennessy · Rémy Martin · Martell · Courvoisier · Pierre Ferrand
1 oz
London dry gine.g. Tanqueray · Gordon's · Beefeater · Bombay Sapphire · Sipsmith
½ oz
lime juice freshly squeezed
2 dash
Angostura bittersBuy on Amazon →
4 oz
ginger beer well chilled
Garnish: Mint sprig and orange slice · Ice: Ice cubes
Suffering Bastard
Spicy and refreshing with ginger heat, bright lime, juniper and a soft brandy roundness. Medium strength, long and easy to drink.
The Suffering Bastard was created by Joe Scialom, head bartender at the Long Bar of Shepheard's Hotel in Cairo, during the Second World War. The hotel was a meeting place for British officers, and the drink is said to have been made as a cure for the morning after. Its name, the story goes, came from the officers who ordered it.
Scialom's drink combined gin and brandy with lime, bitters and ginger beer. It became known far beyond Egypt, and Scialom later made variations such as the Dying Bastard and the Dead Bastard. Shepheard's Hotel itself burned down in the Cairo riots of January 1952.
In the tiki era the name was also used by Trader Vic for a different rum drink, which causes some confusion. The International Bartenders Association lists the original style among its new era drinks.
Joe Scialom, bartender at Shepheard's Hotel in Cairo, during the Second World War.
The original is not. It was later adopted by tiki bars, and Trader Vic used the name for a different rum drink.
Yes. Bourbon is common today and gives a sweeter, more vanilla-forward drink; the IBA recipe uses cognac.
The perfect sound
A soothing remedy at a legendary Cairo hotel bar.
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