Rye whiskey leads, its spice softened and brightened by dry vermouth and a measure of pineapple juice that brings fruit without tipping into sweetness. Shaken until very cold and served up without garnish, it drinks spirit-forward yet unexpectedly fruity and dry, the pineapple lending a light, silky texture to the glass.
Shaken · Coupe · Up
add
Combine rye whiskey, dry vermouth, and pineapple juice in a shaker.
shake
Add ice and shake well until chilled.
strain
Double-strain into a chilled coupe glass.
The drink takes its name from the Algonquin Hotel, which opened in Midtown Manhattan in 1902 and became home to the literary Round Table, but no inventor is on record and its exact beginnings remain unclear. The hotel is its namesake rather than a proven birthplace — owner Frank Case's puritanical outlook has been taken as reason to doubt it was devised on the premises. Cocktail books of 1937 mention it by name without giving a recipe, and it is reputedly the first drink to pair rye with pineapple juice. A complete recipe reached print only in 2004, in Ted Haigh's Vintage Cocktails and Spirits, during the revival of classic cocktails.