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Old Flame

Aperitivo/aperitif · Bittersweet (e.g. Negroni) · Romantic and Valentine's Day

4.8 207 ratings

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Ingredients

1 oz Gin
1/2 oz Triple sec
1/2 oz Rosso/sweet vermouth
1/2 oz Red bitter liqueur
1 oz Orange juice

How to make

Serve in a martini glass

Prepare

  1. 1 Select and pre-chill a MARTINI GLASS.
  2. 2 Prepare garnish of orange zest twist.

Method

  1. 3 SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
  2. 4 FINE STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish

  1. 5 EXPRESS flamed orange zest twist over cocktail, then use as garnish.

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Flavour profile

17.2% alc./vol. · 1.4 standard drinks · 173 calories

History

As creator Dale DeGroff states, this is a Negroni softened by fresh orange juice and a splash of triple sec.

Dale DeGroff created this cocktail in New York, USA, in 2001. The "Old Flame" won first prize in the Fancy Cocktail category at the 2001 Martini & Rossi Grand Prix in Malaga. Jonathan Downey prefers this drink with twice the gin and half the juice. The recipe calls for 15 ml gin, 15 ml Martini & Rossi sweet vermouth, 5 ml Campari, 20 ml Cointreau, and 30 ml fresh orange juice, garnished with flamed orange peel. Shake all the ingredients well to chill and strain into a chilled 5½-6oz (165-180ml) martini glass. Garnish with a flamed orange peel. Also known as the "Fancy Nancy", the "Old Flame" is a variation on the Negroni. While on a book tour for the first edition of "The Craft of the Cocktail", DeGroff was pairing the Negroni with canapés. He retooled the recipe on the fly, adding Cointreau and orange juice, when the bitter finish of the Negroni was not well-received by a writer and photographer in Texas. The photographer, Nancy, was enthusiastic about the results, and DeGroff renamed the drink "Fancy Nancy" in her honor. He later won first prize at the 2001 Martini & Rossi Grand Prix in Malaga with a version of this drink, then known as the "Old Flame". The recipe from this period is 1 ounce Bombay dry gin, ½ ounce Martini & Rossi sweet vermouth, ½ ounce Campari, ½ ounce Cointreau, and 1 ounce fresh orange juice, garnished with flamed orange zest coin. Shake all the ingredients (except the garnish) well with ice to chill and strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with the flamed orange zest coin.

Also known as Fancy Nancy · Created by Dale DeGroff