Have you seen this man?

The Lord Lucan

This is the most recent of my own concoctions. The serious cocktailien must be able to create his/her own drinks but those starting off should concentrate on the classics first. Making changes to classic drinks is the best way to get off the ground and this one is loosely based on the Boulevardier – which in itself is a version of the Negroni – and all three ingredients are changed for vaguely similar ones. The unwritten rules state that if you change a recipe sufficiently you get to rename it. Hence The Lord Lucan.

The name Lord Lucan (1934 – ?) will be familiar to those hailing from those British Isles – for the rest of you there is always Wikipedia. Basically he is – or was – Britain’s Jimmy Hoffa. I firmly believe the naming of a drink should tell a story, however cryptic that might be. In a way it’s part of the presentation; a story to tell the customer while the drink is prepared. In this case I admit I may have gone a bit overboard. The Lord Lucan cocktail has a three way connection to the notorious peer. The similarity between his family name and the Amaro Lucano, the popularity of smoky Islay malt whisky amongst his London gambling club peers and a sneaky side reference to his favourite game – Baccarat – where one plays as “punto” or “banco”.

The Lord Lucan

1.5oz Islay malt whisky (see notes)

0.75oz Amaro Lucano

0.75oz Punt e Mes vermouth

1 good dash of orange bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a DOF glass containing one big block of clear ice.

Flame a slice of orange peel over glass. Twist and garnish.

Do not drink to “Lucky” Lucan as murderers are undeserving of our toastage.

Alternative version:

Jimmy Hoffa

Replace the Islay whisky with an assertive Bourbon such as Wild Turkey 101 or a spicy rye such as Rittenhouse 100 proof.

Notes: I used Finlaggan Islay malt in the Lord Lucan but if you find it a bit heavy on the smoke/peat try 0.75oz Islay malt and 0.75oz of a milder Scotch such as Johnnie Walker Red Label.