Friday, June 1, 2007

The Suffering Bastard


First Drink Post. Hopefully I'll keep adding to the list of adult libations.

The Suffering Bastard.

Found a 1959 New York Times interview with the inventor himself, Joe Scialom, one-time head bartender at Sheperd's Hotel in Cairo. Here's what it said: When liquor was short during the war, he had to concoct "something to quench the boys' thirst." He combined equal parts gin and brandy with a dash of Angostura bitters, a teaspoon of Rose's lime juice, and English ginger ale. He garnished the drink with a sprig of fresh mint, a slice of orange and a cucumber peel. The bartender advised Americans to substitute ginger beer for the ginger ale because the British version of the soft drink is more heavily seasoned with ginger than ours.

I've seen variations of the story, but I like this one.

My reciepe comes from Jeff "Beachbum" Berry's Grog Log.
1 oz. Lime Juice (always fresh, and I perfer Key Lime)

1 oz. Gin

1 oz. Whisky

2-4 Dashes Angostura Bitters

4 oz. Ginger Beer (Dont substitute Ginger Ale, its just not the same thing)
It is a staple in my house and so refreshing on a hot sunny day. Enjoy! And, as always...Drink what you like, like what you drink.

1 comment:

Traitor Vic said...

Ah, Yes!!!

I do so love a good Drink Post!

And I also love a Suffering Bastard, so this is Perfect!!!

You know, of course, that the name was the result of a customer misunderstanding Joe Scialom's pronuciation during his explaination of how bad he felt for his "Poor, Suffering Bar Steward."

Joe found that the Customer's name for the drink was a hell of a lot better than what he could come up with, so that's the way it has been since.

Don't order one of these in any restaurant or bar in the world and expect to get what you make at your home bar, Loki.

The Trader Vic Suffering Bastard, while very good, is nowhere near this drink.

Just who is this Loki?