Mamie Taylor cocktail
This week’s Friday Cocktail was said to be created in Central New York as a refreshing summer drink. It’s called the Mamie Taylor.
Now you might be wondering, who is Mamie Taylor? She was a popular actress and singer who appeared on Broadway in vaudeville and opera around the turn of the last century. Her name was actually spelled, Mamye Taylor. The story goes that after an afternoon of boating on Ontario Lake in 1899, Taylor and friends stopped in a tavern in Rochester, where the bartender served up this original concoction. Miss Taylor is said to have “found the drink to her liking”, but requested a twist of lemon peel to soften the flavor. Thus a new drink was born.
The March 16, 1902 edition of The Syracuse Post-Standard cited the drink’s origin and its rather instantaneous popularity. For more about this and other CNY related cocktails, check out this link on Syracuse.com. And check out this link, for more about Taylor and the eponymous drink associated with her.
Interestingly, there is another cocktail, a Mamie Gilroy, with nearly the identical ingredients, the exception being the addition of a dash of bitters. This cocktail was named for an actress who, according to a New York Times obituary, died at the age of twenty-six in August 1904. I’ve not been able to verify if they are indeed one and the same person.
What you’ll need: Scotch (whiskey), Lime Juice, and Ginger Ale.
Pour 2 ounces of Scotch and 1/2 ounce of lime juice into a collins glass over a cracked ice. Fill the glass with ginger ale soda. Optionally, garnish with a twist of lemon or lime.
How I like it: Most recipes call for the juice of 1/2 lime, which could yield varying amounts depending on the size of the lime. Using 1/2 ounce of lime juice worked just fine. Although, I would think the drink originally called for lemon juice, considering the anecdote about Taylor requesting a lemon twist. But either way, this is a refreshing summer delight.
Drink responsibly this Summer!
The Poisoned Martini 