Welcome to Wonkette Happy Hour, With This Week's Cocktail, The Pegu Club!

A British Raj cocktail, when you need to keep a stiff upper lip.

Greetings, Wonketeers! I’m Hooper, your bartender. I found a tart, spicy cocktail from the waning days of the British Empire. It’s a real treat in hot weather, and the perfect drink to toast Boris Johnson’s departure. Let’s make a Pegu Club. Here’s the recipe.

Pegu Club Cocktail

2 oz Boodles Gin

1 oz fresh lime juice

1 oz Grand Marnier

1/2 oz cooked ginger syrup (recipe below)

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

Shake all ingredients until chilled. Pour into a chilled coupe glass and garnish with a lime twist.

Cooked ginger syrup

¼ t ginger paste, or grated raw ginger

½ cup white sugar

½ cup water

Bring all ingredients to a simmer on the stovetop for 1 minute. Let cool to room temperature. Strain and save for later use.

The Pegu Club is an early 20th century cocktail. It’s a contemporary of the Sazerac and Mint Julep. The Pegu Club was first written up in the classic Savoy Cocktail book, but its origins are surprisingly exotic . The Pegu Club was the signature drink of a bar and social club of the same name in Yamon, Myanmar. The club was purportedly open to “all gentlemen interested in general society.” In reality, that meant British military officers, diplomats, and their flunkies. Basically, important white people. The club was captured by the Japanese during World War II, and used for some rather nasty purposes. After that, the Pegu Club more or less withered away in the hands of the Myanmar government. Nobody in Myanmar drinks this cocktail anymore. Honestly, I don’t blame them.

The original cocktail recipe didn’t have any sweeteners beyond the Grand Marnier. That isn’t sweet enough for modern palates. I added some more sugar to balance the tartness. The Angostura bitters provided some spice notes that were very welcome. Still, the original drink was bland and unmemorable. I wanted to give the cocktail some subtle Asian notes, to emphasize its place of origin. A mild cooked ginger syrup turned the trick. Nothing too fiery, but something to brighten and re-center the cocktail. Just the thing to sip while watching the sun set over an empire.

Ingredient shot. This cocktail vanished to the strains of of "I Whistle a Happy Tune" shortly after this photo was taken. Matthew Hooper 

Here’s the ingredients:

Boodles Gin: A London Dry gin is an absolute must here. Boodles is my all-time favorite, and it’s very reasonably priced. Tanqueray Rangpur would also be perfect. If you still have bad memories of gin from your college days, vodka would be fine. I might use a lemon flavored vodka, like Absolut Citron, and see what the results are like.

Fresh lime juice: The juice of one small lime is more than enough for this cocktail. Limes have been pricey lately, but it’s worth it when you’re making cocktails at home.

Grand Marnier: You do want to use orange curacao for this drink. The color makes the cocktail look beautiful. Triple sec would work okay, but it won’t be as pretty in the glass.

Cooked ginger syrup: I’ve made a raw ginger syrup for other cocktails, but I wanted something smoother and more candylike for this drink. I usedjarred ginger paste , but grated raw ginger would work as well. (Check your label. Some ginger pastes include salt. You want to stay away from that. GG paste is right out.) If you don't have a fine mesh strainer at home, use a thin slice of ginger root instead of grated ginger. In any case, you’d like to see the ginger get slightly transparent before pulling it from the stovetop. Tossing some lemongrass into this syrup as it cooks would be awesome.

Angostura Bitters: The ango bitters make this drink special. The original recipe called for one dash of Angostura and one dash of orange bitters, but the orange bitters don’t bring anything to the drink. Go ahead and lean into the spice notes of the Angostura. It makes for a better cocktail.

Presentation: If you have a Nick and Nora glass, use it. If not, a single old fashioned glass will do. Whatever you choose, please chill the glass in the freezer before starting the cocktail. This cocktail isn’t intended to be enjoyed on the rocks. Keeping the glass cold makes sure the drink is chilled nicely when you serve it.

As a rule, drinks served in Nick and Nora glasses don't get a garnish. I decided that a very thin lime wedge was in order here. It permits you to add a little more tartness to drink as the evening goes. Garnish as you like, and savor your cocktail as you watch the sun set, before the Thai takeout arrives.

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