Equal parts gin and orange juice, with a touch of sugar, make up the Orange Blossom. Although upon first glance one might believe that the Orange Blossom is a simple variation on a Screwdriver, the Orange Blossom’s pedigree predates the latter by many years and should be considered a parent to the vodka version. The Orange Blossom harks back to Prohibition, when the harshness of homemade gin needed to be diluted to make it palatable. H. L. Mencken praised it as one of the few drinks one could depend upon, but in 1934 Esquire magazine called it one of the 10 worst cocktails of the 1930s. There is just no pleasing everyone. Because much of the spirits that were drunk during the unfortunate era of the Noble Experiment were distilled in the Adirondack Mountains, the cocktail was nicknamed the Adirondack Special. With oranges as a chief ingredient, it also came to be known as the Florida. Use this recipe for simple syrup.
1 drinkEasyTotal: Under 5 mins Active: Under 5 mins
Ingredients (4)
- 1 1/2 ounces gin
- 1 1/2 ounces fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon superfine sugar or Rich Simple Syrup
- Slice of orange
Instructions
- Pour gin, orange juice, and sugar into a cold Old Fashioned glass over ice, then garnish with slice of orange. Alternatively, shake with ice, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with flamed orange peel.
