Tonight we pick up the Dale/David Project with the Waldorf, a cocktail consisting of Bourbon or Rye and Sweet Vermouth, stirred with Angostura bitters and strained into a cocktail glass rinsed with Ricard. The astute observer will note that this is basically a licoricey Manhattan. Dale points out that the version in Albert Stevens Crockett's Old Waldorf Bar Days (1931) is made with equal parts absinthe, sweet vermouth, and whiskey. Dale's adaptation calls for Ricard, since the book was published before the contemporary re-birth of true absinthe.

The Waldorf will slap you around a bit, whether you make it with Absinthe (l) or Ricard (r)

We decided to make two versions, one following Dale's recipe and the other following that found in Patrick Gavin Duffy's Official Mixer's Manual (pub. 1934, reprinted 1956), which looks like it may have been lifted from Mr. Crockett's volume: 1/3 Bourbon Whiskey, 1/3 Pernod, 1/3 Sweet Vermouth, 3 dashes Angostura Bitters, stirred well and strained into a glass. In this latter recipe we substituted Lucid absinthe for the Pernod. We used Wild Turkey Rye for the whiskey in both cocktails; Martini & Rossi for the sweet vermouth. I think I favor the Ricard version, in that the glass was only rinsed with the spirit before the rest of the ingredients were added. Either of these cocktails will put hair on your chest if it's not already there.