unforgettable · stirred
Tuxedo recipe
A dry Martini dressed up with maraschino, absinthe and orange bitters.
A Tuxedo is 30 ml (28.2 g) Old Tom Gin, 30 ml (30 g) Dry Vermouth, 3 ml (3.1 g) Maraschino, 1 ml (0.9 g) Absinthe and 1 ml (1 g) Orange Bitters, stirred and served in a coupe. It pours to about 65 ml before ice, at roughly 29.6% ABV. Weighing the ingredients instead of measuring them is what keeps the balance identical from one round to the next.
- Glasscoupe
- Methodstirred
- Pour volume65 ml
- Strength (est.)29.6% ABV
- Time5 min
Tuxedo ingredients — in millilitres and grams
Grams are what the PourPilot coaster actually targets. They are not the same as the millilitres: a spirit is lighter than water, a syrup is heavier, so 30 ml of one is never 30 g. The right-hand column is the density we use, in grams per millilitre.
| Ingredient | Volume | Weight | g/ml | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Tom Gin | 30 ml | 28.2 g | 0.94 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Dry Vermouth | 30 ml | 30 g | 1.00 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Maraschino | 3 ml | 3.1 g | 1.04 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Absinthe | 1 ml | — | 0.88 | 1/4 barspoon |
| Orange Bitters | 1 ml | — | 0.98 | 3 dashes |
How to make a Tuxedo
- Set your coupe on the scale (or on the PourPilot coaster) and zero it. Every measurement below is given in millilitres and in grams, so you can use either.
- Pour Old Tom Gin, Dry Vermouth, Maraschino, Absinthe and Orange Bitters into a mixing glass, weighing each one as you go.
- Fill the mixing glass with hard, cold ice and stir for 20–30 seconds — until the outside frosts and the mix has dropped to roughly −2 °C.
- Strain into a chilled coupe.
Tuxedo: the questions people actually ask
How strong is a Tuxedo?
Roughly 29.6% ABV as poured, before the ice dilutes it — typically another 15–25% water by the time you finish stirring or shaking. Strong. This is a stirred, undiluted-style drink — one is a full measure.
What glass should a Tuxedo be served in?
A coupe. Chill it first — a room-temperature stemmed glass will undo half the work you just did in the mixing tin.
Can I make a Tuxedo without a jigger?
Yes — that is what the gram column is for. Put the glass or tin on a kitchen scale, zero it, and pour to the weight. It is more accurate than a jigger because nothing is left clinging to the inside of the measure. The PourPilot coaster does the same thing without you having to watch a display: it lights up as you approach the target and tells you when to stop.
Why are some ingredients not weighed?
Dashes of bitters and rinses are too small to weigh reliably — a dash is roughly 0.8 ml, well inside the noise of any bar scale. Count them instead. Everything else in this Tuxedo is weighed.
If you like the Tuxedo
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Last Word
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