Monarch by Douglas Ankhar

Let’s toast this special Champion with something appropriately royal, the Monarch cocktail, an elegant martini of the modern era. The cocktail was created by London mixologist Douglas Ankrah, who is notorious for another one of his inventions – the “Pornstar Martini”. A modern classic that is either loved or hated, his salacious cocktail was created for the opening menu of Townhouse, an influential London bar of the early two-thousands during the new cocktail renaissance. He thought up the drink, which contains passion fruit and vanilla vodka, and is served with a side of champagne, in an instant, as he recalls, and it has been provoking reactions ever since.

A sovereign sip

On that same opening menu he presented something quite a bit more reserved and refined. The Monarch is a gin martini, as true martinis should be, although it also veers dramatically away from the classic. The addition of lemon juice really places this cocktail outside the martini realm entirely, but at that time all gin or vodka drinks were called martinis. St. Germain, a liqueur made from delicate white elderflowers, was all the rage at the time as well, and remains a lovely nuanced way to sweeten a drink. Finally mint adds a nice touch and additional element to elevate the drink. This cocktail is sure to please just about anyone, but today we serve it to the Champion. Cheers!

This pair is one of a kind

Monarch by Douglas Ankhar c. 2003

2 oz gin

½ oz St. Germain

½ oz fresh lemon

¼ oz sugar syrup

7 mint leaves

2 dashes peach bitters

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a favorite glass. Lemon peel garnish.