Deceptively smooth and deeply aromatic, it sets Cognac beside rich, funky Jamaican rum and rounds them with ripe peach, bright lemon and a touch of sugar, so it drinks fruity and citric while hiding how strong it really is. Cold black tea lengthens it and lends a gentle tannic grip, and a dusting of grated nutmeg over the ice gives every sip a warm, spiced nose.
Garnish: Grated Nutmeg, Lemon Wheel
shaken · Collins · On the Rocks
add
Combine the Cognac, Jamaican rum, peach brandy, lemon juice, simple syrup, and cold black tea in a shaker.
shake
Add ice and shake until well chilled.
strain
Strain into an ice-filled Collins glass.
garnish
Grate fresh nutmeg over the top; add a lemon wheel if desired.
Legend places its birth around 1732 at the State in Schuylkill, a fishing club near Philadelphia known as "the fish house," earning it a place among America's earliest recorded mixed drinks. The club never officially published a recipe and no single member is consistently credited; a later claim naming Shippen Willing in 1848 is disputed and arrives more than a century after the first records. Ladled from a bowl over a big block of ice, it was reputedly potent enough to lay colonial gentlemen low for days, and modern bars usually scale that historic batch down to a single glass.