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Cognac · Gin · Shaken
A tall, spicy drink with two spirits: brandy and gin share the glass. Lime and Angostura bitters round it out, and ginger beer tops it off. Sharp and spicy from the ginger, fresh from the lime.
As of: · Cairo, 1942
The first sip is sharp and spicy. That's the ginger beer, a robust, carbonated ginger mixer. Right after, the lime comes through and makes everything taste fresh. Only in the background do you notice the two spirits: brandy brings a soft fruity sweetness, gin its juniper and herbs. The bitters lay a dark spice note over the top and hold the two bases together. 60 milliliters of spirit sit in the glass, lengthened with ginger beer and ice. The drink therefore tastes long and drinkable, but is anything but weak.
A drink for the evening and for guests who already know a few cocktails. It's long and refreshing, yet it holds two full spirits. If you like ginger beer, you'll take to this right away. There's nothing bitter about it, and it's not especially sweet either. What you need to enjoy above all is the sharpness of the ginger, since that carries the whole drink.
What matters
The ginger beer stays out of the shaker. Carbonation builds pressure in a closed shaker, and the mixture will spray out when you open it. So shake the brandy, gin, lime, and bitters first, tip everything along with the ice into the Collins glass, and then top up. One more word on the name: it plays with the idea of a remedy. But alcohol helps neither with a hangover nor with any ailment.
Joe Scialom mixed the Suffering Bastard in 1942 at the Shepheard's Hotel in Cairo. The idea was unusual: two spirits from different worlds, brandy and gin, share a glass. Lime, bitters, and ginger bring them together. Stories swirl around the drink about a revitalizing effect. They belong to the legend and are not proof. Later, Tiki versions appeared under the same name, built quite differently. This recipe follows the original direction. The name is drastic, but the drink itself is friendly.
In the same direction
A sugar cube sits in the glass, soaked with Angostura. This is a strongly spiced bitters essence. On top comes a touch of cognac and cold champagne. The cube slowly dissolves, so the drink changes in the glass as you drink it.
Zum RezeptCognac with ginger ale over ice, garnished with a long lemon spiral in the glass. A simple long drink: the ginger ale provides ginger spice and fizz, while the Cognac remains noticeably present in the background.
Zum RezeptA small gin sour, lengthened with chilled Champagne. Gin, lemon, and sugar go into the shaker; the sparkling wine is added only once it's in the glass. The result tastes fresh, effervescent, and feels lighter than it actually is.
Zum Rezept