The first recording of this cocktail is in Henry MacElhone’s 1927 book, Barflies and Cocktails. However, the Pegu Club originated at the private men’s club of the same name in Rangoon, Burma, modern day Yangon, Myanmar. This drink was their signature cocktail and was enjoyed by the members, who were predominately British senior government and military officials, and prominent businessmen.
The Pegu Club cocktail’s modern day revival is largely due to Audrey Saunders’s now sadly shuttered New York City bar by the same name. It opened in 2005 and closed in 2020. It further galvanized the early 2000s craft cocktail movement in New York City. As one of the most influential cocktail bars in the world, it created modern classics like the Old Cuban.
Note: this cocktail is extremely dry, to soften it, use sweetened lime juice instead of fresh or add .25 oz of simple syrup, if desired.
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