Knickerbocker

Glassware:

Serve in an Old-fashioned glass

Prepare:

1. Select and pre-chill an OLD-FASHIONED GLASS.
2. Prepare garnish of spent (squeezed) half lime shell & seasonal berries: raspberries, blackberries, blueberries.

Method:

1. SHAKE all ingredients with ice.
2. STRAIN into glass 2/3rd filled with cubed ice.
3. TOP up glass with crushed ice.

Garnish:

1. Garnish with lime shell and seasonal berries.
2. Serve with a straw.

Nutrition:

One serving of Knickerbocker contains 231 calories

History:

The Knickerbocker was created sometime in the mid-19th century, and I have been one of those who previously went with the assumption that it was created at New York City's grand Knickerbocker Hotel. However, the luxurious Knickerbocker Hotel with its Beaux-Arts architecture was not built until 1906, while this drink first appears in print in 1862.

What is a knickerbocker?: The name 'Knickerbockers' originally referred to the style of pants, rolled up just below the knee, that Dutch settlers wore. (This is where the word 'knickers' comes from.)

In 1809, author Washington Irving wrote the satiric A History of New York under the pseudonym Diedrich Knickerbocker. The book became known as Knickerbocker's History of New York and the word 'knickerbocker' came to signify a New Yorker who could trace their ancestry to the original Dutch settlers. The term 'knickerbocker' became linked to anything from New York, including Jacob Ruppert's Knickerbocker Beer and the 1938 Broadway musical Knickerbocker Holiday.

So, the name suggests the Knickerbocker Cocktail was first made in New York, but by whom remains unknown. However, thanks to printed recipes, we do know how the drink evolved.

Cocktail's timeline: The Knickerbocker cocktail first appears in Jerry Thomas' 1862 The Bartender's Guide.

Review:

Fruity and refreshing – a party drink with rum and raspberry flavours predominating. At its best when made with homemade raspberry syrup.