Haven't heard of the opal before? The opal cocktail arose in the liveliness of the roaring twenties in London, England. A booze-forward, gin-based cocktail, it's fruity with a light hint of floral. The floral notes come from the addition of a touch of orange blossom water. For gin lovers, this is a delightful and fresh drink.
History of the Opal Cocktail
The opal cocktail is believed to have been created in London, England, in the 1920s, the era known as 'the Roaring Twenties.' It is featured in Harry Craddock's famous book, The Savoy Cocktail Book, which was published in 1930. This book serves as a record of recipes for the most popular cocktails served at the Savoy at the time, at the hotel's famous lobby bar. It gives a fascinating insight into the past. Know anyone who enjoys some history along with cocktails?
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How to Make It
To make this cocktail, you will need a cocktail shaker and a fine strainer or sieve. I love this cocktail bar set, I use it myself and I find that it has everything I need for making various drinks. You will also need ice and a coupe glass for serving.
Add all of the cocktail ingredients into your shaker - the gin, cointreau, orange juice, simple syrup, and orange blossom water. If you can, use freshly squeezed orange juice. Be careful not to go too heavy on the orange blossom water. It can easily go from, 'Oh, what a lovely hint of floral' to 'I am drinking a floral hand soap'.
Add a few ice cubes to your shaker and shake vigorously for about twenty seconds. Fine strain into a coupe glass. Optionally, you can garnish this drink with an orange zest twist to add even more to the aromatics.
There's something simply enjoyable about sipping a cocktail that comes with a long history. Who knows who may have had the exact same cocktail a hundred years ago.
Opal Cocktail
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Total Time: 2 minutes
- Yield: 1 cocktail 1x
- Category: Cocktails
- Cuisine: British
Description
A drink from the Roaring Twenties in London, England, this booze-forward, gin-based cocktail is juicy with a delicate hint of orange blossom florals.
Ingredients
1 ⅔ oz Tanqueray London Dry Gin
½ oz Cointreau
1 ¼ oz freshly squeezed orange juice
¼ oz simple syrup
A drop of orange blossom water
Orange zest twist garnish (optional)
Instructions
Combine all cocktail ingredients with a few ice cubes in a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously for 20 seconds.
Fine strain into a coupe glass and serve. Garnish with an orange zest twist, if desired.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 29
- Sugar: 10.2 g
- Sodium: 0.4 mg
- Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 10.9 g
- Protein: 0.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: opal cocktail
Selena says
I had a friend over last evening. We like to try new cocktails each weekend that we discover and I came across this one. We both fell in love with your Opal cocktail.
Asha says
Hi Selena, thanks for the review! I'm happy that you both enjoyed it 🙂