Loud Speaker

The LOUD SPEAKER is another cocktail from Harry Craddock’s 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book. The original version offers an easier serve for bartenders, featuring equal parts gin and brandy, along with equal but lesser amounts of Cointreau and lemon juice. The updated (and preferred) version below, from Gabriel Lowe of The Cognac Room in San Francisco, uses equal portions of brandy and Cointreau, with lesser amounts of lemon or lime juice and gin.

Requirements: brandy or cognac, Cointreau, dry gin, lemon or lime juice, orange peel garnish

• 1 oz. brandy (or cognac)
• 1 oz. Cointreau
• 3/4 oz. dry gin
• 1/2 – 3/4 oz. lemon (or lime) juice

Add the ingredients to an ice-filled shaker. Shake vigorously and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

History: The Loud Speaker entry in The Savoy Cocktail Book jokes, “This it is that gives to Radio Announcers their peculiar enunciation. Three of them will produce oscillation, and after five, it is possible to reach the osculation stage.”

Comments: Similar to a Sidecar, this cocktail takes it a step further with the addition of gin. The Loud Speaker feels like an upgrade, combining the strength of a martini with enough complexity to keep it interesting. To be fair, I prefer Craddock’s choice of lemon juice over Gabriel Lowe’s adapted version, which suggests lime.

Similar Cocktails:

Sidecar— https://keetscocktails.com/sidecar/

Chapel Hill— https://keetscocktails.com/chapel-hill/

Between the Sheets— https://keetscocktails.com/between-the-sheets-2/

Golden Dawn— https://keetscocktails.com/golden-dawn/

Flying Dutchman — https://keetscocktails.com/flying-dutchman-3/