bronx cocktail: how to make a bronx martini..and its variations

The Bronx cocktail is one of the popular cocktails to have originated from the Big Brass Rail bar of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. As with many of the cocktails of its time, there are several stories associated with the origins of this drink. It is commonly accepted to have been created by Johnnie Solon at the Waldorf hotel bar.

The Bronx drink is a fruity cocktail without being overly sweet or sticky as many other fruity cocktails can be. Also, the recipe calls for some bitters in the drink. You may not find the bitters to be a mandatory ingredient in the drink in some recipes. I strongly suggest using the bitters, as it imparts a distinct taste and flavor to the drink. You can use either the orange bitters or the angostura bitters.

Ingredients

  • 2 shots of Gin
  • 1/2 shot of Dry Vermouth
  • 1/2 shot of Sweet Vermouth
  • 1 shot of Orange Juice
  • Dash of Angostura or Orange Bitters
  • Orange Peel for garnish

Preparation/Recipe

  1. Add some ice cubes into a cocktail shaker
  2. Add 2 shots of your favorite Gin into the shaker
  3. Add half a shot of the dry vermouth
  4. Add half a shot of the sweet vermouth into the shaker
  5. Add one shot of fresh orange juice into the shaker
  6. Now, add a dash of the angostura bitters into a chilled martini glass
  7. Swirl the bitters around to coat the glass evenly
  8. Shake the contents of the cocktail shaker well
  9. Strain the contents of the shaker into the martini glass
  10. Garnish with an orange peel
The Bronx Cocktail drink

Variations

Sweet Bronx: Eliminate the dry vermouth and instead add an additional half a shot of the sweet vermouth. This makes the drink sweeter.
Dry Bronx: This version eliminates the sweet vermouth and adds just the dry vermouth (of course, double the proportion).
Perfect Martini: If you eliminate the orange juice from this recipe, then you get the perfect martini. Also, do not add the bitters either.
Queens Cocktail: This variation of the Bronx substitutes the orange juice with a shot of the pineapple juice.

Tips

  • The bitters is optional in the recipe, many versions of the drink appear with no bitters at all. Use the bitters if you have any.
  • The Bronx cocktail is mostly served up in a martini glass. However some do use a old fashioned glass as well.