Vodka Cocktails

Gypsy Queen Cocktail

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Gypsy Queen Cocktail Ingredients

2 oz. Ketel One Vodka

1 oz. Bénédictine D.O.M.

2 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters

Garnish

Lemon twist

Gypsy Queen Cocktail Preparation

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and add ice. Stir 25-35 times. Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a lemon twist or olive if desired.

Gypsy Queen Cocktail Story

For a short time after Prohibition, vodka enjoyed an air of exclusivity among New York’s upper-class clientele, who sipped the exotic spirit at upscale locales like the St. Regis or the Russian Tea Room. Owned by a cadre of former members of the Russian Ballet, the Russian Tea Room was where the Gypsy Queen first appeared, in 1935. Though the evocative mix of vodka, bitters, and the herb-based Bénédictine liqueur made the cocktail a hit, World War II inspired a wave of patriotism in American drinkers, who all but abandoned the foreign vodka for homegrown alternatives like whiskey.