Satan’s Whiskers
Satan’s Whiskers, in its straight form, is 20ml each of London dry gin, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth and fresh orange juice, with 10ml of Grand Marnier and one dash of orange bitters, shaken hard, passed through a fine strainer into a chilled coupe and finished with an orange zest twist expressed over the drink. About 1.9 UK units, which matches Difford’s Guide. Difford’s adapts it from Harry Craddock’s 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book and calls it a variation on the Bronx. Craddock prints the gin, both vermouths and the juice in two parts each, with one part of Grand Marnier. It is dry and orange-led, with juniper behind the juice.
Glassware: Coupe Glass
Garnish: Orange zest twist expressed over the drink and used as the garnish
Ingredients
10ml
Difford’s asks for Grand Marnier or another cognac-based orange liqueur. Counted at 40% ABV.
Instructions
Chill a coupe.
Squeeze the orange the day you serve it.
Add the gin, both vermouths, Grand Marnier, orange juice and bitters to a shaker with ice.
Shake hard for 10 to 12 seconds.
Fine strain into the chilled coupe.
Express an orange zest twist over the drink and use it as the garnish.
Source: Difford's Guide (recipe 1748, measures, method and garnish as printed (20ml London dry gin, 20ml dry vermouth, 20ml sweet vermouth, 10ml Grand Marnier or other cognac orange liqueur, 20ml orange juice, 1 dash orange bitters, shaken, fine strained into a chilled coupe, orange zest twist expressed over the drink); Difford’s credits Harry Craddock, The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930), prints the original in two parts each and one of Grand Marnier, and notes it as a variation on the Bronx. Credited via Difford’s; the Savoy text has not been checked in the book itself. The Curled form (orange curaçao for the Grand Marnier) is Difford’s recipe 3055). Last checked 1 November 2026.
Expert Tip
Measure each part to the millilitre. With five parts near equal, a loose pour on any one of them shifts the drink. For the curled version, swap the Grand Marnier for the same 10ml of dry curaçao and leave everything else alone. Fine strain it. The juice throws small shards of ice in a short glass.
Behind the Satan’s Whiskers
Flavour Profile
A Savoy Cocktail Book drink in two forms
Difford’s Guide credits Harry Craddock’s 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book and shows his entry in full. It asks for Italian vermouth, French vermouth, gin and orange juice in two parts each, one part of Grand Marnier and a single dash of orange bitters, shaken well and strained into a chilled glass. The measures here are Difford’s, scaled so that one part is 10ml.
Craddock prints a second recipe straight after it, called Satan’s Whiskers (Curled). It takes the first and swaps the Grand Marnier for the same quantity of orange curaçao. The recipe here is the straight one. Difford’s lists the curled version separately, with 10ml of dry curaçao in place of the Grand Marnier and the same 1.9 units.
A Bronx with a liqueur
Difford’s calls it a variation on the Bronx, and the link is plain. Our Bronx is 45ml of gin, 15ml of each vermouth and 30ml of orange juice. Satan’s Whiskers drops the gin and juice to 20ml each, lifts the vermouths to match, and adds a splash of Grand Marnier.
That equalises the glass. London dry gin, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth and fresh orange juice sit in equal shares, so no single part leads. The dash of orange bitters dries the finish. Difford’s describes it as dry and citrusy, with pine from the gin underneath.
Satan’s Whiskers beside its curled version and the Bronx
Satan’s Whiskers (straight)
- Gin and vermouths
- 20ml gin, 20ml dry, 20ml sweet
- Orange
- 20ml juice
- Liqueur
- 10ml Grand Marnier
Satan’s Whiskers (curled)
- Gin and vermouths
- 20ml gin, 20ml dry, 20ml sweet
- Orange
- 20ml juice
- Liqueur
- 10ml dry curaçao
Bronx
- Gin and vermouths
- 45ml gin, 15ml dry, 15ml sweet
- Orange
- 30ml juice
- Liqueur
- None
| Drink | Gin and vermouths | Orange | Liqueur |
|---|---|---|---|
| Satan’s Whiskers (straight) | 20ml gin, 20ml dry, 20ml sweet | 20ml juice | 10ml Grand Marnier |
| Satan’s Whiskers (curled) | 20ml gin, 20ml dry, 20ml sweet | 20ml juice | 10ml dry curaçao |
| Bronx | 45ml gin, 15ml dry, 15ml sweet | 30ml juice | None |
For a drier gin and vermouth drink with no juice, try the Hanky Panky.
Make it at home
The Spirit
London Dry GinLondon Dry gin is a legal grade of distilled gin under the retained Regulation (EC) 110/2008, not a place. Regulation 110/2008 requires every flavour to come from redistilling neutral spirit with juniper and its fellow botanicals; afterwards nothing may go in except water, more neutral spirit and at most 0.1g of sugar a litre, and no colouring at all. The floor in 110/2008 is 37.5% ABV, our recipes count it at 40%, and it is the style behind our recipe lines that ask for clear juniper.
More to explore
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Satan’s Whiskers?
What is the curled version?
Is it a Bronx?
Who created Satan’s Whiskers?
How strong is Satan’s Whiskers?
Does it have to be Grand Marnier?
Can I use one vermouth?
Can I batch it?
Sources.
Correct as of 1 November 2026.
- Difford’s Guide, “Satan’s Whiskers (Straight)” (recipe 1748: gin, dry and sweet vermouth, Grand Marnier, orange juice, orange bitters, shaken, coupe; 1.9 units; Craddock 1930 text reprinted; variation on the Bronx).
- Difford’s Guide, “Satan’s Whiskers (Curled)” (recipe 3055: the curled form, with dry curaçao in place of the Grand Marnier; Craddock 1930 text reprinted).
- NHS, “Calculating alcohol units” (the 14-units-a-week guidance and the units calculation).
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Where this one sits
Recipe by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 1 November 2026