I wanted to reward myself for all the vermouth I drank yesterday by picking something that was sure to be delicious. Gin, lemon, ginger ale. I think the final proof that I don't have the most sophisticated palate is the simple fact that I would drink pretty much any gut rot available if there were ginger ale (or better yet: ginger beer) to mix with it. Ginger ale plus anything is great.
The London Buck was actually a little nicer than I anticipated. The lemon, rather than being a garnish, is a full participant in this--Ensslin calls for the juice of half a lemon. The London Buck has a strong lemon scent and aftertaste. At first I thought the gin was overpowered by the ginger ale but it works quite well. The ratio is a bit off, though, I think. Perhaps ice was expensive in 1916, so Ensslin calls for a single cube in a Collins glass. I think filling the glass with ice would be better, both because it would keep the ice from melting as fast, and increase the strength of the gin flavor. I'll try it that way next time.
Not sure if I committed a mortal sin or not, but I went ahead and shook the gin and lemon juice with some ice, then topped off with the ginger ale. The book doesn't say to, but as I was following instructions and only using a single ice cube, I thought it would be nice to chill the gin first. My ginger ale was in the fridge, but my gin was not. I think it worked fine.
Difford has this exact same recipe, only uses the shorter name "Buck." "London Buck" sounds better though. More classy.
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