Pegu Club

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Cocktail History

The Pegu Club is a classic cocktail that was created in the 1920s at a navy officers’ club in Rangoon, Burma. It is traditionally made with gin, citrus, and bitters, and it became popular worldwide when expats visited the club and brought the recipe back home. By 1948, Burma had become an independent country, and the drink had all but faded from memory until Audrey Saunders, owner of the former gin-focused bar in New York City, revived it in 2005 and made it fairly popular in the United States again.

Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Gin: This is a spirit made with juniper berries, botanicals, and alcohol. I used Prairie Organic Spirits Navy Strength Gin.

Orange Curaçao: This is a liqueur made with oranges, sugar, and brandy or rum. I used Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge.

Lime Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lime. I used freshly squeezed lime juice.

Aromatic Bitters: This is a food product made with botanicals, herbs, and alcohol. I used Angostura Aromatic Bitters.

Orange Bitters: This is a food product made with oranges, botanicals, herbs, and alcohol. I used Angostura Orange Bitters.

Lime Twist: This is the peel of a lime that has been twisted into a corkscrew shape.

Bartending Tools

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:

Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Boston Shaker: This is used to shake ingredients. I used the Boston shaker from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Hawthorne Strainer: This is used to strain out ice and solid ingredients after the cocktail is shaken. I used the A Bar Above Hawthorne Strainer.

Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. I used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.

Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. I used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.

Peeler: This is used to remove the garnish peel from the citrus. I used the OXO Good Grips 2-Piece Peeler Set.

Tasting Notes

This cocktail has the following flavor profile:

• Appearance: Delicate yellow color

• Aroma: Juniper and citrus

• Taste: Strong gin flavor accented with sour lime

• Finish: Slight spices from the bitters

Kendall’s Take: “If you’re in the mood to get three sheets to the wind, the Pegu Club cocktail will certainly get you there if you use a navy strength gin like I did. While its taste is quite gin-forward (and by gin-forward I mean it’s, as I once heard someone say, like ‘drinking a spruce tree’), the recipe still has a hint of bitterness that makes it flavorful and very easy to sip. Overall, I liked much more than expected considering how simple it is.”

Recipe

This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Art of Vintage Cocktails by Stephanie Rosenbaum.