If you’ve flirted with drinking dry Martinis but stopped short of fully embracing them, I can’t blame you; everything about the classic Martini is an acquired taste—the gin, the dry vermouth, and the olive. But the Martini has some siblings and cousins you may enjoy all the way through to the last sip, and the silky, slightly sweet Tuxedo No. 2 is one of them. Yes, it’s a gateway drug for the Martini-curious.

Typical of cocktails dating to the late 1800s, the Tuxedo cocktail has a dizzying array of published variations, but at its core it’s a mix of gin, vermouth, Maraschino liqueur, and orange bitters. The gins used throughout its history range from the sweetness of Old Tom to the dryer (but still ‘round’) Plymouth Gin to the crispness of London Dry. Later versions have included a dry sherry or Lillet Blanc intead of vermouth, substituted mezcal for gin to add a touch of smokiness, and/or changed up the bitters component.

Tuxedo No. 2, which is at least as popular as the original Tuxedo, is primarily differentiated by a rinse or spritz of absinthe in the chilled glass to enhance its aromatics (it’s served ‘up’), but approaches vary on its gin/vermouth combination. As the original Tuxedo was based on Old Tom gin and French (i.e., dry) vermouth, I prefer to stay close to that sweeter flavor profile, and one approach is to modernize it by simply using Plymouth gin to reduce the drink’s sweetness without going all the way to a crackling London Dry.  

The recipe here takes an alternative approach of using London Dry gin while replacing dry vermouth with the sweeter blanc vermouth. Either way, the result is a gin cocktail that’s sweeter, more aromatic, and fuller-flavored than a classic dry Martini.

TUXEDO NO. 2
¼ oz Absinthe (to rinse glass)
2¼ oz London Dry Gin
½ oz Dolin Blanc vermouth
¼ oz Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
4 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters

Rinse a chilled Martini glass or coupe with the absinthe and discard any excess. Add the other ingredients into a mixing glass and stir with plenty of ice until the mix is well-chilled, then strain the drink into the prepared glass. Express the oils from a strip of lemon peel over the drink, and use the peel as a garnish on a pick along with a Luxardo Maraschino cherry.

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