Updated Harlem Cocktail

By Rosie Schaap

Published January 27, 2016

  • Grant Cornett for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Amy Wilson.
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Traditionally, the Harlem cocktail does not include lemon juice. I’ve added it to this updated version because the additional acidity mellows the sweetness imparted by the drink’s other components. If you’ve got an extraction juicer, fresh pineapple juice makes this drink especially bright and lively — but canned juice will work fine. I like to finish the drink with a couple dashes of Angostura bitters, but consider them optional — to your taste.

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Ingredients

  • 2 oz. gin (I like Plymouth for this)

  • ¼ oz. maraschino liqueur

  • ¾ oz. pineapple juice

  • 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

  • Angostura bitters

GARNISHES

  • Wedge of pineapple

  • Brandied cherry

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Chill a cocktail glass. Fill a shaker with ice, and add gin, maraschino liqueur, pineapple juice and lemon juice. Shake vigorously, and strain into chilled glass.

  2. Step 2

    Add a couple of dashes of bitters.

  3. Step 3

    Garnish with the pineapple wedge and brandied cherry.

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serving size

Agree with the other view- I’m a heavy bitters drinker, I added three dashes, Will try on next time, maybe even with a lighter bitters

connor

It’s palatable but not a great plan for a cocktail. With so many light ingredients, the bitters overwhelm the flavor profile. I even tried a version with double the other ingredients and just a single dash of bitters and it also just tasted like bitters. And usually Old Fashioned and Sazerac are among my favorites.

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