Old Tom Gin Recipe

Chill glass

Place the Old fashioned glass in the freezer for 5–10 minutes or fill it with ice water while you prepare the cocktail to ensure the glass is nicely chilled.

Measure ingredients

Using a jigger, measure 2 oz Old Tom gin, 1 oz sweet vermouth, 0.5 oz fresh lemon juice, 0.25 oz simple syrup (1:1), and 0.25 oz orange curaçao. Add 2 dashes of Angostura bitters.

Combine and stir

Add the measured gin, sweet vermouth, lemon juice, simple syrup, curaçao, and bitters to a mixing glass filled halfway with ice. Stir gently with a bar spoon for 20–30 seconds (15–20 full turns) until the mixture is well chilled and slightly diluted.

Prepare serving glass

Discard the ice water from the chilled Old fashioned glass if used. Place a large clear ice cube or several large ice cubes into the glass.

Strain

Using a Hawthorne strainer, strain the stirred cocktail from the mixing glass into the prepared Old fashioned glass over the large ice cube.

Express citrus oils

Take a lemon twist: hold it over the drink with the outer (yellow) side facing down and give it a firm squeeze to express oils across the surface of the cocktail. Run the twist around the rim of the glass to add aroma.

Garnish

Drop the lemon twist into the glass. Optionally add a Luxardo cherry on a pick and rest it on the ice. Serve immediately.

Use fresh-squeezed lemon juice for best brightness. Adjust simple syrup to taste if you prefer a slightly sweeter or drier balance. Old Tom gin is sweeter than London Dry; if using a particularly sweet Old Tom, reduce simple syrup to 0–0.125 oz.

Stir rather than shake to maintain clarity and silkiness. Aim for a final temperature just above freezing and a small amount of dilution (roughly 20–25% dilution of the mixture during stirring).

If you don't have a large ice cube, use several large cubes to minimize dilution. If you prefer a slightly boozier pour, reduce sweet vermouth to 0.75 oz.