Pegu Club Cocktail

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I started making this drink back when I first heard about it in 2006. I used to favor some pretty hefty proportions, but I’ve tamed my version of the drink down just a little in recent years.

This drink was created at the Pegu Club in Rangoon, Burma, probably in the 1920s. According to Harry Craddock’s Savoy Cocktail Club of 1930, people traveled the world round asking for this drink. It fell from popularity sometime around WWII, but its complex flavors and refreshing taste are well suited to today’s cocktail enthusiasts.

Here is the cocktail as I make it today, as adjusted for the modern palate. I’ve tried a lot of different recipes for this one, and I find this version to be the most balanced while staying true to the spirit of the original.

Pegu Club (Morgenthaler's Proportions) Print Me

  • 1½ oz/45 ml London dry gin
  • 1 oz/30 ml Cointreau
  • ¾ oz/22.5 ml fresh lime juice
  • 1 tsp/5 ml simple syrup
  • 1 dash Angostura bitters
  • 1 dash orange bitters
  1. Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker and add ice cubes
  2. Shake well until cold
  3. Fine-strain into a chilled cocktail glass
  4. Garnish with a lime wheel

Recipe printed courtesy of jeffreymorgenthaler.com

5 Replies to “Pegu Club Cocktail”

  • Greg says:

    Yes on the Ransom OT!

  • Lloyd says:

    Try with Ransom Old Tom & Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao sometime ❤️

  • Kathryn says:

    This was excellent with a take-out Burmese meal from our nearby Mandalay. I’m not sure I’d crave it or drink it as a stand alone, but with the Burmese food flavors, it worked!

  • Jason says:

    Robert Hess stirs the drink, which I found to be very nice. Actually, when I shook it, I found it not to my liking. When I stirred it, I found I liked it a lot. Despite the lime juice, this might be best with a 1/4 to a 1/3 less lime and a nice stirring. But of course, in the end, do whatever the fuck tastes best to you!

  • dw says:

    I used Plymouth gin and Cointreau and found the concoction out of balance. I ‘cheated’ the next night and used a touch of agave syrup and was very pleased.

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