How to Make the Floradora

When we say love is in the air in cocktail terms, we definitely mean the refreshing, delicious classic gin cocktail, the Floradora. With its subtle pink hue and sweet and spicy flavor, the Floradora is hard not to love!

This pink drink got its name from the classic musical comedy, the Florodora, the popular Broadway musical, which premiered in 1899. The show was a huge success and the main highlight were the “Florodora girls.” Dressed in pink with black hats and carrying their frilly parasols, these gorgeous damsels became the toast of New York City.

Now it is believed that one particular damsel from the group of girls asked a bartender to make something special for her after the show. He took inspiration from her dress and came up with the Florodora cocktail.

The name changed when J A Grohusko misspelled the name in the 1933 edition of Jack’s Manual, one of the first cocktail books with the first edition coming out in the early 1900s, and it stuck! It began popular again at the turn of the 20th century, when Milk & Honey in New York started making it again.

It’s great during the warmer months of the year when raspberries are in season!

What goes into a Floradora

Here is what you will need to make the Floradora cocktail:

• Gin: For this Floradora cocktail recipe, it’s best to use a simple, but premium, London Dry Gin. If you want to try a more floral gin, then go for it!
• Fresh Lime juice: Freshly squeezed lime juice adds flavor and freshness to this cocktail.
• Raspberry liqueur: The beautiful pink hue of the blush of a Floradora cocktail comes from adding raspberry syrup. Homemade raspberry syrup is simple to make – see directions below.
• Ginger beer or Ginger Ale: Ginger beer gives this cocktail its zing. It offers a prominent gingery and spicy flavor, which greatly compliments the sweet raspberry syrup and gin. If using Ginger Ale, I suggest Fever Tree Ginger Ale.
• Garnish: Garnish this refreshing cocktail with fresh raspberries, lime wheels or lime wedge and enjoy this delicious and refreshing drink.

What tools you need to make Floradora

You’ll need a cocktail shaker for this one! Grab a jigger, a barspoon, a strainer, and a highball glass or a collins glass for this classic cocktail.

Here are a few steps you have to follow:

• Step 1: Add the raspberry syrup, lime juice, and London dry gin to your cocktail shaker.
• Step 2: Then adding ice cubes
• Step 3: Seal the shaker with a lid and start shaking it until everything is well combined and the drink is chilled.
• Step 4: Strain the drink into a chilled highball glass by passing it through a fine strainer.
• Step 5: Top it up with ginger beer and gently stir.
• Step 6: Garnish with the raspberries and lime. Bottom’s up!

• 🍸Top Tip(le): Here are a few ways to change it up a bit:
  • Raspberry liqueur: You can use a premium brand of raspberry or framboise liqueur or even black raspberry liqueur, instead of raspberry syrup
  • Rosewater: Adding rosewater to Floradora not just adds a beautiful floral aroma. You can also use rose essential oil.
  • Simple Syrup: If it’s too tart for you, you can always add a bit of sugar syrup.
  • Non-alcoholic version: You can always try a non-alcoholic spirit like Seedlip. Or use a bit of soda water or club soda to top it up more.

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Where to find more gin recipes

Here are a few of my favorites:

• How to Make the Dry Gin Martini
• How to Make the Tanqueray Negroni
• How to Make the Gin Sour
• How to Make the Gin Fizz

 Plus more liqueur recipes here

Here is the recipe!

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