A wartime hangover cure that became a tiki-era staple, the Suffering Bastard splits its base between cognac and gin, brightens it with fresh lime and two dashes of Angostura, then lengthens the whole thing over ice with a generous pour of ginger beer. Barman Joe Scialom mixed the first one at Cairo's Shepheard's Hotel in 1942, allegedly to revive bleary British officers fighting near El Alamein. Spicy, citrusy, and deceptively easy-drinking, it set the template for its rowdier siblings, the Dying and Dead Bastard.
Garnish: Mint Sprig, Orange Wheel
shaken · Collins · Cubed
add
Add the cognac, gin, fresh lime juice, and Angostura bitters to a shaker (everything except the ginger beer).
shake
Add ice and shake well until chilled.
strain
Pour or strain into an ice-filled Collins glass (or the original S. Bastard mug).
top
Top up with ginger beer.
garnish
Garnish with a mint sprig, and optionally an orange slice.