Sunday, March 15, 2015

#57 Cocktail: Betsy Ross

   Betsy Ross is widely credited with making the first American flag purportedly in 1776, according to family tradition, upon a visit from General George Washington, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, and changing the shape of the stars described on the flag from six-pointed to easier-to-produce five-pointed stars. However, there is no archival evidence or other verbal traditions that this story or "legend" of the first American flag is true and supposedly the story first surfaced in the early 1870's by the description of her descendants—a grandson—a century later, with no mention being made or documented anywhere in earlier decades.
     It seems that although Besty Ross was alive in the 18th century, the cocktail wasn't created until the 1940's. It first appeared in Grosby Gaige's Cocktail Guide and Ladies' Companion. While the recipe from Gaige calls for Curacao, Cognac is more widely used now a days to make the drink slightly less sweet.
     Besty Ross is a great cocktail for the autumn, with the floral and vanilla notes of the cognac, followed by the cherry of the port.
1 1/2 ounce brandy
1 1/2 port wine
1/2 orange curacao
Angostura bitters to taste

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