ENDANGERED COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH-THE PRINCE EDWARD

By Pink Lady
Most cocktail historians refer to the 1970s as the Dark Ages of Mixology. This was when juicy, creamy, colorful drinks reigned supreme, like the Harvey Wallbanger (vodka, orange juice, and Galliano), Tequila Sunrise (there is a 1930s era version, but the 1970s mixture of tequila, orange juice, and grenadine is what Don Henley & the Eagles were singing about), and the Blue Hawaiian (light rum, cream of coconut, lime juice, pineapple juice, and blue curacao.)

There’s nothing wrong with a little Disco in your glass, but these sticky sweet drinks were a far cry from pre-Prohibition classics that so popularized the cocktail in the United States. Thirteen long years of Prohibition and two World Wars made a drastic impact upon the craft of bartending and the liquor industry at large. By the 1970s a wealth of generational knowledge had been lost, and with fewer people around teaching the old ways, and shifts towards sweeter flavor profiles, we almost lost the thread of the historic cocktail.

Then we have Stan Jones, who was certainly mixing up the cocktails of the Disco era, but also giving us drinks like The Prince Edward, a strong and stirred Manhattan-esque cocktail made with Scotch, Lillet Blanc, and Drambuie. He self-published The Stan Jones Bar Guide in 1977, which included the Prince Edward alongside 70’s era favorites like the Blue Hawaiian, as well as classics like the Aviation, Blood & Sand, and French 75.

Stan Jones had a moment in the 2010s, when his book influenced bartenders like Jim Meehan, who featured the Prince Edward in The PDT Cocktail Book, and the team at the Clover Club, who had a section of the menu titled “The Work of Stan Jones” during 2010.

Special thanks to Daren Crawford and Joe Cammarata of Tall Order in Somerville for putting me on this delicious drink! And to Stan Jones, for self-publishing his 4,000+ recipe behemoth of a book at a time when Melon Balls were the hottest thing to drink!

PRINCE EDWARD

2 ounces of Scotch
3/4 ounce of Lillet blanc
1/4 ounce of Drambuie
2 dashes of orange bitters

STIR ingredients with ice.
STRAIN into a chilled cocktail glass.

Cin cin!