In flipping through the Esquire Handbook for Hosts (copyright 1949) the other day I came across a recipe for The Connecticut Bullfrog cocktail. Being the good resident I am I decided to whip up this drink that has been all but lost over the years except for a few savvy bar-folk. This is the original 1949 recipe word for word including the comments:
The Connecticut Bullfrog
The ingredients are awful but the result does have something.
4 parts gin
1 part New England rum
1 part lemon juice
1 part maple syrup
“Shake these ingredients together until your arms ache. Then have someone else do the same thing with about ten times the usual ice. Serve frappe. All your guests will swear they are at the Waldorf-Astoria.”
The fact that the author said that the ingredients were “awful” almost deterred me from trying this concoction but I braved ahead and assembled everything to the prescribed amounts. For New England Rum I used Bacardi Light which seemed to work well. The finished cocktail was strong and tart with just a hint of sweet Maple syrup shining through. I used an ounce as the measure for “parts” and found that the complete recipe was enough for three to four cocktails depending on what size glass you use. Served “frappe” means that the drink should be served over finely cracked ice to create a slushy effect. The flavor of the cocktail is quite agreeable and my only tweak to the recipe was to add ½ ounce additional Maple syrup to the whole which took the edge of the tartness of the drink. It is also important to follow the shaking instructions which result in a bit of dilution from the ice, tempering the strength of the gin.
If you are looking for something new in a cocktail, why not try something old and whip up a batch of Connecticut Bullfrog’s. Cheers!
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