Have You Heard of the Alaska's Sophisticated Sibling?

"Will Thompson isn't terribly impressed with the state of gin these days. When the owner of Sunny's in Miami goes out on the town in search of a Martini, he often faces a bit of a dilemma. "I look at the backbar and there's six gins that I think all taste kinda like shit," he says. He feels there's been a downturn in overall gin quality and proof level."

"At the turn of the 20th century, an early recipe for the Puritan appeared in a "sideboard manual" for gentlemen (home bartenders, not professionals) published in Boston. The recipe called for a ratio of two parts Plymouth gin to one part French vermouth, a spoonful of yellow Chartreuse and three dashes of orange bitters. Because of its gin, yellow Chartreuse and bitters, the Puritan tends to be grouped"

Will Thompson, owner of Sunny's in Miami, often finds contemporary gins lacking in quality and proof. He prefers ordering an "improved" Martini that uses supporting spirits like absinthe or Chartreuse, and his favorite is the Puritan. The Puritan recipe calls for two parts Plymouth gin, one part French vermouth, a spoonful of yellow Chartreuse and three dashes of orange bitters. The cocktail shares elements with louder drinks like the Alaska but achieves a subtler balance. Thompson values vermouth for tempering gin's astringency, favors Dolin vermouth, Hayman's London Dry, and insists on yellow Chartreuse's specific profile.

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