Bar Exam: Three To One Cocktail

I decided to take another opportunity to delve into Ted "Dr. Cocktail" Haigh's ever-inspiring book "Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails" because I was, well, thirsty. Not for just anything, mind you. This particular thirst was demanding something gin-ish, as my thirst so often does. Something simple, fast, and hopefully delicious presented itself on page 268 of Haigh's book. The Three to One Cocktail was reportedly served at the old Waldorf-Astoria Hotel bar before prohibition. It is the epitome of why I love classic cocktails: very few ingredients coming together in a perfect balance. The herbal tang of gin balanced with the sweet-sour of the brandy and lime. Delicious! Plus the manageable size of this cocktail, and yet another reason to love these old drinks, promises that your drink stays cold through to the end, and is a small enough serving that should you be of the mind for another (and trust me, you will!), it is well within reason.
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Three To One Cocktail
from Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails/Ted Haigh

ingredients:
1-1/2 oz. gin (preferably 100 proof)...I used Tanqueray which was delicious- bb
3/4 oz. Marie Brizard Apry
Juice of 1/2 lime

method:
Fill cocktail shaker half full of ice, add ingredients, shake to chill., and strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Drink notes:
From Haigh's recipe: "I like a powerful gin in this cocktail to stand up to the rich, sweet flavor of the apricot liqueur and the acid of the lime."
On the apricot liqueur, the Marie Brizard is hard to find, at least here in Portland, but is worth searching out. Other cheaper brands can be too sweet and cloying, throwing off the balance of these simple cocktails.- bb