What a curious thing, to name a cocktail after a punctuation mark.

The Ampersand isn’t the only punctuation-themed cocktail in the world. There’s the Three Dots and a Dash (what’s Morse code, after all, other than a long string of punctuation marks?), and there’s an Oxford Comma cocktail (apparently nothing less than an Oxford comma deserved the tribute). I dove down this rabbit hole for a while, and all I’ll say is that there are cocktails of one sort or another named after other punctuation marks, but in the interest of space, time, and decency (did you notice that Oxford comma just then?) I’m sparing you further examples. Have fun with your web crawling. <sly grin>

We know more of the Ampersand cocktail’s origins than most cocktails, yet still not very much. The Ampersand originated in the bar at the old Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, which from 1893 to 1929 was where the Empire State Building is now. That may be the only concrete, knowable fact about the cocktail. All else, regarding why it includes the ingredients it does and where the name came from, is subject for speculation or academic research. A leading theory is its name may have arisen from the ampersand in “Martini & Rossi” or, others say, from a more esoteric concept of connections between different categories of spirit. Click here for an entertaining deeper dive on the subject.

What’s in it

The cocktail is mostly equal portions of Old Tom Gin, Cognac, and sweet vermouth. 

Old Tom Gin is London Dry Gin’s daddy—sweeter and with malty undertones; it was the dominant style of gin during the 19th century, but became less popular during Prohibition because London Dry was easier to … imitate. Happily, it’s enjoying resurgent popularity now in the modern craft cocktail movement. (For a too-brief history of gin, see this Libation Lounge post from March 2022.) 

Cognac, of course, is just brandy (i.e., distilled wine of certain grapes) made in the Cognac region of France—bright, fruity, a little tart and with a long finish. For mixing and non-snooty sipping, my go-to Cognac is Maison Dudognon Reserve 10-year-old Cognac, which is well made, additive-free, and flavorful but also affordable. 

For the sweet vermouth in this kind of cocktail, I prefer a Vermouth di Torino, which has enough flavor and texture to stand up to the other ingredients. Cocchi’s is delicious and affordable. 

THE AMPERSAND COCKTAIL
Ingredients:
1 oz Old Tom Gin
1 oz Cognac
1 oz Vermouth di Torino
1 tsp Bauchant or similar Cognac-based orange liqueur
1 dash Orange bitters

Directions:
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with a generous amount of ice. Stir ingredients 15-20 seconds, then strain into a chilled cocktail coupe or Martini glass. Express the oils from a peel of orange zest over the drink and use the peel for a garnish—a loooooong peel of orange zest … long enough to twist it into an ampersand. 

Pro tip: There’s an easy way to get a proper peel of citrus zest. Just use the same kind of swivel peeler you have in your kitchen for other uses. It’ll give you just the right thickness of peel, with a minimum of the bitter-tasting pith. For a really elegant garnish, use a paring knife on a cutting board to groom the edges and ends of the peel. 

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