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East India No.1 Cocktail Drink

East India No.1 Recipe

Gavin Wrigley Written by Gavin Wrigley
Warm your evenings with our simple East India No.1 recipe! This tasty cocktail combines Cognac, Red Curacao Liqueur, Maraschino Liqueur, Raspberry syrup, and Angostura Bitters - a perfect blend for winter.
Prep time: 1 minute
Mixing time: 1 minute
Servings: 1
Calories: 200

Ingredients
 

  • 2 oz Cognac
  • ¼ oz Red Curaçao Liqueur
  • ¼ oz Raspberry syrup
  • 1 bar spoon Maraschino Liqueur
  • 2 dashes Angostura Bitters
  • Ice cubes
  • Orange zest twist - for garnish, optional

Equipment

  • Martini or Coupe Glass
  • Stirring Glass
  • Measuring Jigger
  • Cocktail Strainer
  • Bar spoon

Instructions

  • Prep Glass: Fill a Martini or Coupe glass with ice. Give it a quick stir and set it aside.
  • Add Bitters: Pour 2 dashes Angostura Bitters into the mixing glass.
  • Add Maraschino: Measure and delicately pour 1 bar spoon Maraschino Liqueur into the mixing glass.
  • Add Raspberry Syrup & Red Curaçao: Add ¼ oz Raspberry syrup and ¼ oz Red Curaçao Liqueur.
  • Add Cognac: Finally, add 2 oz Cognac to the mix.
  • Add Ice and Stir: Fill the mixing glass with ice. Using a bar spoon or a long stirrer, stir well (for about 15-20 seconds). Give it a taste and stir a bit more if you feel like more dilution is necessary.
  • Strain: Take your Martini or coupe glass and discard the ice inside. Using the cocktail strainer, strain the drink into the chilled glass.
  • Garnish: Garnish with an orange twist (express the orange zest on top of the drink and place it on the rim of the glass or drop it directly inside) and serve immediately.

Notes

Substitutes:

  • Cognac: If you don't have cognac on hand, other types of brandy such as armagnac or even applejack make a good substitute. The choice of brandy will affect the final taste of the drink, so be sure to use a brandy you enjoy and feel free to experiment with several bottles.
  • Red Curacao Liqueur: If you can’t find red curaçao, regular curaçao can be used as a substitute. Triple Sec is also a good alternative, as it has a similar citrus flavor but is generally less sweet.
  • Maraschino Liqueur: Cherry Brandy or Cherry Heering can replace Maraschino Liqueur for a slightly different but still delicious cherry flavor. Another tasteful option would be to use a bit of the syrup from a jar of maraschino cherry.
  • Angostura Bitters: If you don’t have Angostura bitters, you can omit them or use another type of aromatic bitters (in this case, orange bitters can be a good alternative).
  • Raspberry Syrup: If you're out of raspberry syrup, try using grenadine or another red fruit syrup (such as strawberry or cherry syrup).

Making a Pitcher of East India No.1:

  • Scale: To make a pitcher that serves 8, multiply all the ingredients by 8. That would be 16 dashes of Angostura bitters, 16 oz of cognac, 2 oz of Red Curacao Liqueur, 2 oz of raspberry syrup and 1,5 oz of Maraschino Liqueur.
  • Mix: In a large pitcher, combine all the ingredients. Add ice and stir well.
  • Serve: Strain to remove the ice, serve immediately into chilled stemmed cocktail glasses and garnish each glass with an orange peel. If you have some leftovers, be sure to keep it in the fridge (make sure no ice cubes are left inside) in an airtight container.

Making it Non-Alcoholic:

  • Brandy Substitute: Use a non-alcoholic brandy substitute; these are available and reasonably mimic the brandy's rich flavor.
  • Red Curacao Liqueur Substitute: You can make a simple syrup infused with orange peel as a non-alcoholic substitute for the curaçao.
  • Angostura Bitters: You can add a drop of cinnamon and/or clove essence to your drink to mimic the spicy kick of the bitters. You can also slightly muddle an orange zest into the mixing glass before adding the rest of the ingredients. Also note that a few dashes of bitter in an otherwise alcohol-free drink won’t raise the overall ABV of the drink. The drink will indeed chemically contain a drop of alcohol, but won’t make you intoxicated at all. Depending on your reason for not drinking alcohol and your degree of tolerance on the topic, you can choose to omit the bitters or to include them in your preparation.
  • Maraschino Liqueur:You can use cherry syrup as a substitute; a good option is to use a bit of the syrup from a jar of maraschino cherries.
  • Proceed As Usual: Use these non-alcoholic substitutes instead of the regular ingredients, follow the original steps, and enjoy a non-alcoholic version.
However, keep in mind that, as the East India nº1 cocktail is solely made out of alcoholic ingredients, it can be hard to recreate its flavor using only non-alcoholic substitutes; the overall flavor and mouthfeel will probably change greatly from the original drink. In order to make the perfect mocktail version of this drink, you may have to revise the quantity of each ingredient depending on the specific substitute you decide to use.

Making it Vegan:

This cocktail is already vegan-friendly as it doesn't contain any animal products. Just ensure that the specific brands of alcohol you're using are vegan, as some brands may use animal products in their processing methods.