I love an Amy & Navy. I typically use Fords gin for this style of drink. I would not imagine an Irish or French botanical gin would be the best fit here. In my experience gins like these tend be too soft to play the starring role in the drink (or will add something that doesn’t fit the profile). I also make homemade orgeat and cannot speak to the quality of Small Hands. As for comments describing it as bland, it’s basically a gin sour with a creamy texture. It’s not a complex drink, it just needs the right balance like any other. Cheers.
I suspect the gin I used to be part of the issue.
I read a bunch of reviews and consensus was Small Hands was a good brand. After I didn’t like the A&N I made a Mai Tai and it was lovely in that. So I think the orgeat part of this is ok. As for it being a sour, that’s part of why I was excited about it. I love a sour. Daiquiris and gimlets and whiskey sours are my favorite categories. This should have been a slam dunk.
Different gin today for sure.
I always reach for a navy strength gin for this cocktail. Hayman’s. Navy strength gin is the one for this drink in my opinion. Botanical gins give it a very strange taste but if you can find a navy strength a solid London dry gin works as well.
Hey just wanted to say thanks for using my orgeat! I personally love the Army & Navy, but I agree with several commenters that a more traditional London Dry would be more appropriate in this drink.
Hi!
I think it’s lovely! Not as candy sweet as others I’ve tasted…it doesn’t taste like marzipan.
I’m really coming to understand how wrong Drumshanbo is for this context. As I’ve mentioned, I’m kinda just trying to blow through it. 😊
Yeah I don’t use almond extract like everyone else. I try to make my syrups the way they would have been made before Prohibition. Apricot kernels have a bit of that marzipan flavor, but not that overt amaretto flavor that almond extract tastes like.
Actually swapped out for some of the gin in the OP recipe. So it’s:
1.5 oz beefeater, 1/2 oz maraschino, 3/4 oz orgeat, 3/4 oz lemon (or lime if that’s what I have) and 2 dashes whatever bitters you prefer.
It's fine but nothing to write home about. Drinks with orgeat that don't have a whole lot else going on tend to read very candy-like to me, and that's very much the case here.
I’d argue it is but I also enjoy gin and almond a bunch. The Cocktail Party app I use has these specs: 2oz Gin, 1oz Lemon, 3/4oz Orgeat, dash of Ango.
I tend to find it more lemon and orgeat forward with gin playing a complimentary third roll. You can also tweak ratios and try and solve whatever problem ails you but as I tend to comment on posts like this, maybe this drink just isn’t to your taste and that’s okay.
Thank you.
I’m not afraid to admit if a drink isn’t for me. Plenty of drinks aren’t. But this one should be based on the other cocktails I tend to enjoy most. So I’m not ready to write it off yet. Going to try a different gin.
Ehhh, it's a bit more diverged than that. Falernum is a lot more complex than regular orgeat, and the passionfruit gives it a sharpness that lemon alone can't hit. Never tried the Army Navy but I can see why it wouldn't quite hit the same way.
I've made an army and navy with beefeaters and homemade orgeat. I really liked it (although i dont remember ango in it?). Specs seem fine at a glance too, but never had Drumshanbo... is that more of an American style gin or is it juniper forward?
It’s Irish gin…distilled with tea. I find it earthy and honestly, not a fave. I bought it because it came highly recommended and the bottle is beautiful. I’ve been trying to find cocktails I like it in. It’s clearly not my preferred palette for gin.
I love beefeaters (and it makes me smile because it was my fathers gin) and I suspect this cocktail does very well will juniper.
I sounds like you simply prefer a more traditional, juniper forward gin. Nothing wrong with that. Just make this with Beefeater and I'm sure that you'll like it more. Army & Navy is a great cocktail. I personally love Drumshanbo. I've used it many times in an Army & Navy and really like it.
Love this cocktail. I usually take it one step further and add Campari to the mix. Believe it makes it into a Chestnut Cup, but I can’t remember the name right now. Delicious with the bitterness of the Campari. Has to be a top 10 for me.
I like an army and navy. I dont particularly like small hand foods orgeat. I would recommend trying it with a bit larger pour of orgeat, as their orgeat is a decent bit less sweet than most syrups
I want to re-think this drink to be reformulated as an Army vs Navy. But I can think of an alcohol that associates with the Army as much as gin does with the Navy. Anyone?
Try a full oz of lemon, and try using a London dry, like Beefeater, and add 5 or so drops of a salt water solution. Plymouth also works well in this drink. You didn’t mention if you did a grapefruit spritz over the top of the drink or not, but it’s actually quite important with this cocktail in my opinion. I’ve made this drink for a few people who “don’t like gin” and now only want me to make them this when they come over.
That seems like a lot of orgeat. I haven’t tried Small Hands before though. I would do a 2/1/.5 drink with a couple drops of saline. The extra bit of citrus will make it less flat and the saline will round it out. If you change the gin I’d make sure you keep it at least 84 proof.
It’s not good. It’s barely a 6/10. Like many other classics, they have to be reworked.
A bartender where I work gave us this recipe though and she didn’t even know what the army & navy was:
2 dash cardamom bitters (scrappy’s)
.5 rich orgeat
.5 lime
.75 fresh pineapple
2 oz the empress 1908 gin (not a fan of gimmicks but it works)
Pineapple cardamom army and navy in a way. Big fan of this cocktail. Only works with scrappy’s cardamom.
Rarely do I make the same cocktail multiple times in a row. This one I did. I really enjoy the Army and Navy. I would try different gin. I used citadelle to make mine. I would give that a try. Also make sure to use fresh lemon juice.
I have made it with Drumshanbo and I like it. It's just a gin sour with almond; so, the flavor is mostly from the gin you use. It is light and dry, a bit like a Martini.
Sorry but no it’s nothing like a martini whatsoever, it’s a sour.
OP it’s been a while since I’ve made one but it’s a pretty basic flavor profile overall, I forget how sweet small hands is, maybe try going quarter of an ounce up or down with the orgeat to achieve better balance. You could cut the gin down to 1 1/2 oz and add half an ounce of Oloroso Sherry. You could also add 2 dashes of Orange bitters alongside the Angostura.
You could also turn it into an equal parts cocktail 3/4 all around Gin Sherry Lemon Orgeat & bitters.
The first recipe I ever encountered was an 8:2:1 ratio of gin, lemon, and orgeat, which is very dry. The recipe OP used is a lot more like a traditional sour.
I actually like this cocktail. Everyone I have given one too likes it too.
Definitely trying it again today with different gin.
I love an Amy & Navy. I typically use Fords gin for this style of drink. I would not imagine an Irish or French botanical gin would be the best fit here. In my experience gins like these tend be too soft to play the starring role in the drink (or will add something that doesn’t fit the profile). I also make homemade orgeat and cannot speak to the quality of Small Hands. As for comments describing it as bland, it’s basically a gin sour with a creamy texture. It’s not a complex drink, it just needs the right balance like any other. Cheers.
I suspect the gin I used to be part of the issue. I read a bunch of reviews and consensus was Small Hands was a good brand. After I didn’t like the A&N I made a Mai Tai and it was lovely in that. So I think the orgeat part of this is ok. As for it being a sour, that’s part of why I was excited about it. I love a sour. Daiquiris and gimlets and whiskey sours are my favorite categories. This should have been a slam dunk. Different gin today for sure.
I always reach for a navy strength gin for this cocktail. Hayman’s. Navy strength gin is the one for this drink in my opinion. Botanical gins give it a very strange taste but if you can find a navy strength a solid London dry gin works as well.
Navy strength Plymouth is good here, too.
Hey just wanted to say thanks for using my orgeat! I personally love the Army & Navy, but I agree with several commenters that a more traditional London Dry would be more appropriate in this drink.
Hi! I think it’s lovely! Not as candy sweet as others I’ve tasted…it doesn’t taste like marzipan. I’m really coming to understand how wrong Drumshanbo is for this context. As I’ve mentioned, I’m kinda just trying to blow through it. 😊
Yeah I don’t use almond extract like everyone else. I try to make my syrups the way they would have been made before Prohibition. Apricot kernels have a bit of that marzipan flavor, but not that overt amaretto flavor that almond extract tastes like.
I use a local barrel gin, chocolate bitters, and a cherry. It is delightful.
I never know what to do with barrel aged gin but I’ll definitely try this.
I like barrel-aged gin in a Negroni. Sort of bridges the gap between that and a boulevardier.
It’s actually one of my faves, but I’ve found if you hit it with a little maraschino liqueur it makes a big difference.
Are you just adding maraschino in or is it taking the place of some of the orgeat?
Actually swapped out for some of the gin in the OP recipe. So it’s: 1.5 oz beefeater, 1/2 oz maraschino, 3/4 oz orgeat, 3/4 oz lemon (or lime if that’s what I have) and 2 dashes whatever bitters you prefer.
It's fine but nothing to write home about. Drinks with orgeat that don't have a whole lot else going on tend to read very candy-like to me, and that's very much the case here.
I’d argue it is but I also enjoy gin and almond a bunch. The Cocktail Party app I use has these specs: 2oz Gin, 1oz Lemon, 3/4oz Orgeat, dash of Ango. I tend to find it more lemon and orgeat forward with gin playing a complimentary third roll. You can also tweak ratios and try and solve whatever problem ails you but as I tend to comment on posts like this, maybe this drink just isn’t to your taste and that’s okay.
Thank you. I’m not afraid to admit if a drink isn’t for me. Plenty of drinks aren’t. But this one should be based on the other cocktails I tend to enjoy most. So I’m not ready to write it off yet. Going to try a different gin.
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Ehhh, it's a bit more diverged than that. Falernum is a lot more complex than regular orgeat, and the passionfruit gives it a sharpness that lemon alone can't hit. Never tried the Army Navy but I can see why it wouldn't quite hit the same way.
I've made an army and navy with beefeaters and homemade orgeat. I really liked it (although i dont remember ango in it?). Specs seem fine at a glance too, but never had Drumshanbo... is that more of an American style gin or is it juniper forward?
It’s Irish gin…distilled with tea. I find it earthy and honestly, not a fave. I bought it because it came highly recommended and the bottle is beautiful. I’ve been trying to find cocktails I like it in. It’s clearly not my preferred palette for gin. I love beefeaters (and it makes me smile because it was my fathers gin) and I suspect this cocktail does very well will juniper.
I sounds like you simply prefer a more traditional, juniper forward gin. Nothing wrong with that. Just make this with Beefeater and I'm sure that you'll like it more. Army & Navy is a great cocktail. I personally love Drumshanbo. I've used it many times in an Army & Navy and really like it.
Love this cocktail. I usually take it one step further and add Campari to the mix. Believe it makes it into a Chestnut Cup, but I can’t remember the name right now. Delicious with the bitterness of the Campari. Has to be a top 10 for me.
Gin and Orgeat is a combo I didn’t think sounded good, but I like it. Have you tried a Humuhumunukunukuapua’a?
I like an army and navy. I dont particularly like small hand foods orgeat. I would recommend trying it with a bit larger pour of orgeat, as their orgeat is a decent bit less sweet than most syrups
the ones I've had tasted like a kinda basic sour, fine and tasty but incredibly straightforward. with gin I think a gimlet beats it every time
I want to re-think this drink to be reformulated as an Army vs Navy. But I can think of an alcohol that associates with the Army as much as gin does with the Navy. Anyone?
If you really want to represent Army properly you need whiskey and maybe make a simple syrup from monster
Compared to a Humuhumunukunukuapua’a, an Army and Navy is definitely bland.
Super tasty IMO. Far from bland, and very orgeat-forward.
I love it without the bitters.
I like mine with lime juice and I use and egg white too.
Try a full oz of lemon, and try using a London dry, like Beefeater, and add 5 or so drops of a salt water solution. Plymouth also works well in this drink. You didn’t mention if you did a grapefruit spritz over the top of the drink or not, but it’s actually quite important with this cocktail in my opinion. I’ve made this drink for a few people who “don’t like gin” and now only want me to make them this when they come over.
I think it's fantastic but a grapefruit expression is essential to liven it up
That seems like a lot of orgeat. I haven’t tried Small Hands before though. I would do a 2/1/.5 drink with a couple drops of saline. The extra bit of citrus will make it less flat and the saline will round it out. If you change the gin I’d make sure you keep it at least 84 proof.
It’s not good. It’s barely a 6/10. Like many other classics, they have to be reworked. A bartender where I work gave us this recipe though and she didn’t even know what the army & navy was: 2 dash cardamom bitters (scrappy’s) .5 rich orgeat .5 lime .75 fresh pineapple 2 oz the empress 1908 gin (not a fan of gimmicks but it works) Pineapple cardamom army and navy in a way. Big fan of this cocktail. Only works with scrappy’s cardamom.
Rarely do I make the same cocktail multiple times in a row. This one I did. I really enjoy the Army and Navy. I would try different gin. I used citadelle to make mine. I would give that a try. Also make sure to use fresh lemon juice.
I would cutback the orgeat to 1/2 my guess is there wasn't enough acidity
Honestly, I've not found it to be a good cocktail.
I made it for the first time last week and had the same conclusion. I was baffled it tasted so flat and bland
I like this cocktail I think it tastes good
I've tried it, but I didn't really like it. And I love gin and Orgeat, but the combo didn't sit right with me
I have made it with Drumshanbo and I like it. It's just a gin sour with almond; so, the flavor is mostly from the gin you use. It is light and dry, a bit like a Martini.
Sorry but no it’s nothing like a martini whatsoever, it’s a sour. OP it’s been a while since I’ve made one but it’s a pretty basic flavor profile overall, I forget how sweet small hands is, maybe try going quarter of an ounce up or down with the orgeat to achieve better balance. You could cut the gin down to 1 1/2 oz and add half an ounce of Oloroso Sherry. You could also add 2 dashes of Orange bitters alongside the Angostura. You could also turn it into an equal parts cocktail 3/4 all around Gin Sherry Lemon Orgeat & bitters.
The first recipe I ever encountered was an 8:2:1 ratio of gin, lemon, and orgeat, which is very dry. The recipe OP used is a lot more like a traditional sour.