Born during the time when the British had colonies all over the world, the Pegu Club is a gin-based sour. Like many classic cocktails, it faded into obscurity after Prohibition, only to be revived during the cocktail renaissance, even when the public seemed to be all about vodka.
The History of the Pegu Club
When we talk about the colonial era, we’re looking at 1886—the year the Third Anglo-Burmese War ended and the Kingdom of Burma became a province of British India.
One of the less significant geopolitical consequences of this? The creation of a series of exclusive clubs for Brits abroad, where military officers, politicians, and businessmen could get a little taste of home—mainly by enjoying British products, including spirits.
The Birth of the Pegu Club Bar, Just Outside Yangon
One of these bars was located just outside Rangoon (now Yangon), and it was called the Pegu Club, named after the river flowing through southern Myanmar. In search of a signature drink, the bartenders came up with the Pegu Club cocktail. Sadly, their names didn’t make it into the history books.
But their recipe did: it first appeared in Harry’s ABC of Mixing Cocktails (1923) by Harry MacElhone. This book, which captured what you could order at London’s Ciro’s Club, highlights how easily things spread during the colonial period. A few years later, in 1930, the Pegu Club made its way into the iconic The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock, which helped cement its reputation.
The Cocktail’s Revival
Like many classic cocktails, the Pegu Club took a hit during Prohibition. By the 1930s, its popularity had plummeted, and it practically disappeared from bar menus for decades.
The drink was brought back to life during the cocktail renaissance, largely thanks to bartender Audrey Saunders and her New York City bar, also called Pegu Club. Her venue was all about championing gin-based cocktails, and she made a bold statement by opening with 27 gin drinks on the menu (and just three vodka options—a risky move at the time).
Talking about the Pegu Club cocktail, Saunders described it as: “A sophisticated sour, bitter, with a fresh, clean profile that also makes it a wonderful aperitif.”
The Pegu Club Recipe
Unlike more famous sours (like the Daiquiri or Whiskey Sour), the Pegu Club is on the drier side. If you want to soften it up a bit, you can add a couple of dashes of simple syrup—but be careful not to mess with the balance between the orange bitters, gin, and lime. A lot of recipes also recommend using a London dry gin for this one.
Ingredients
- 60 ml gin
- 22.5 ml orange curaçao
- 22.5 ml fresh lime juice
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 dash orange bitters
Method
Combine all the ingredients in a shaker with ice cubes and shake well. Strain into a chilled coupe (or cocktail glass) and enjoy.
Garnish
A lime twist or a lime slice.
Image credits of Julie Couder and Coqtail, location Nik’s & Co, all rights reserved.
