The Bamboo Cocktail is a low ABV aperitif style cocktail that dates back to the 19th century and combines sherry with vermouth.
Bamboo Cocktail – Photo © Cocktails & Bars
The Bamboo cocktail was created in the 1890s at the Grand Hotel In Yokohama, Japan by German bartender Louis Eppinger. Essentially an equal parts sherry martini, and much like the Adonis cocktail, the Bamboo is a low ABV aperitif style cocktail that combines sherry with vermouth. The difference being the Adonis calls for sweet vermouth while the Bamboo is mixed with French vermouth.
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In the first recipe for the Bamboo in print as well as in Boothby’s 1908 The World’s Drinks and How to Mix Them, the style of sherry is not specified:
Into a mixing-glass of cracked ice place half a jiggerful of French vermouth, half a jiggerful of sherry, two dashes of Orange bitters and two drops of Angostura bitters; stir thoroughly and strain into a stem cocktail-glass; squeeze and twist a piece of lemon peel over the top and serve with a pimola or an olive.
In The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks by David A. Embury, the recipe calls for dry sherry:
- 1 part French Vermouth
- 2 parts Dry Sherry
- 1 or 2 dashes Bitters to each drink
Stir quickly with large cubes of ice. A twist of orange peel over each glass.
In Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails by David Kaplan, Nick Fauchald and Alex Day, the recipe calls for Dolin blanc, a sweeter style vermouth, amontillado sherry and a little syrup to add a touch of sweetness:
- 1 1/2 ounces Dolin Blanc Vermouth
- 1 1/2 ounces Barbadillo Principe Amontillado Sherry
- 1/2 teaspoon cane sugar syrup
- 1 dash of house orange bitters
- 1 dash Angostura bitters
- Garnish: 1 lemon twist
In The Book of Vermouth by Shaun Byrne and Gilles Lapalus, the addition of rich syrup is included in the recipe:
- 30ml Maidenii dry vermouth
- 30ml fino sherry
- 5ml 2:1 sugar syrup
- dash of orange bitters
- orange twist to garnish
Other variations include different ratios of sherry to vermouth, blanc (or bianco) vermouth instead of dry, and the choice of sherry whether it’s fino sherry that is relatively dry, light and slightly salty, amontillado or manzanilla sherry.
The Bamboo is a cocktail that invites experimentation with several variations and will eventually come down to personal preference. After all, as this book suggests, cocktail recipes are merely modifications on classic templates.
Bamboo Cocktail Recipe
- 45ml fino or amontillado sherry
- 45ml dry vermouth
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 2 dashes orange bitters
Glassware: coupe or cocktail glass
Garnish: lemon peel
Method
In a mixing glass, add all ingredients, ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass. Express the lemon peel over the drink and garnish.
