Turf Club
A Turf Club is 45ml of Old Tom gin and 45ml of dry vermouth with 5ml of maraschino, 2.5ml of absinthe and two dashes of orange bitters, stirred over ice for 20 to 30 seconds and strained into a chilled Nick and Nora glass under an expressed lemon twist. About 3.0 UK units. It is a martini of the old equal-parts kind. Difford’s Guide reproduces Harry Johnson’s 1900 recipe on the same pattern: half a wine glass each of Plymouth gin and French vermouth, two or three dashes each of orange bitters and maraschino, and two dashes of absinthe. Difford’s says his editions of 1882 and 1888 do not list it, and Punch dates the first known printed formula to 1884, with Old Tom gin, sweet vermouth and bitters. Ours keeps Johnson’s shape with a softer gin. The Tuxedo uses the same five bottles at smaller measures.
Glassware: Nick & Nora Glass
Garnish: Lemon twist
Ingredients
45ml
A lightly sweetened gin at our working figure of 40% ABV, softer than London Dry. Johnson’s 1900 recipe, as Difford’s Guide reproduces it, names Plymouth gin; in our view Old Tom rounds the drink and lets the maraschino and absinthe sit together.
45ml
At our working figure of 18% ABV; we keep it in the fridge once opened. At equal parts with the gin it is half the drink, which is how martinis were often built before the vermouth was cut back.
5ml
Five millilitres, at about 32% ABV. Its cherry stone and almond note rounds the vermouth without tasting of cherry. Johnson asked for two or three dashes.
2.5ml
Half a teaspoon, stirred through. Absinthe runs from about 45 to 70% ABV, so measure it rather than pouring from the bottle. Johnson asked for two dashes.
2 dashes
Two dashes, at about 40% ABV. They sharpen the vermouth and tie it to the gin. Johnson used two or three; two keep the orange in the background.
Instructions
Chill a Nick and Nora glass or a small coupe.
Add the Old Tom gin, dry vermouth, maraschino, absinthe and orange bitters to a mixing glass.
Fill with cubed ice and stir for 20 to 30 seconds.
Strain into the chilled glass.
Express a lemon twist over the surface and drop it in.
Our version
Harry Johnson’s 1900 recipe uses Plymouth gin and French vermouth in equal parts with dashes of maraschino, orange bitters and absinthe. Ours keeps the equal parts, uses Old Tom gin for a softer drink, and measures the seasonings in millilitres.
Source: our own specification. Last checked 10 October 2026.
Expert Tip
Measure the small things. Five millilitres of maraschino and two and a half of absinthe season the drink; a full bar spoon of absinthe would cover everything else in the glass. A jigger with a 5ml line or a measuring spoon does it. Stir the absinthe in rather than rinsing the glass with it. A rinse leaves the anise on the nose, as in a Sazerac; stirred through, it sits in the body of the drink behind the gin and wine. We keep the vermouth in the fridge and use it within a month or so of opening. At equal parts with the gin, a tired bottle shows straight away.
Behind the Turf Club
Flavour Profile
Where It Comes From
Difford’s Guide reproduces Harry Johnson’s recipe from his revised 1900 New and Improved edition: in a large bar glass three-quarters full of shave ice, two or three dashes each of orange bitters and maraschino, two dashes of absinthe, and half a wine glass each of French vermouth and Plymouth gin, stirred and strained into a cocktail glass with an olive. Difford’s says the drink is not in his 1882 first edition or 1888 second edition.
Difford’s Guide says Robert Vermeire’s 1922 Cocktails: How to Mix Them repeats Johnson’s formula and credits him with the drink. Punch puts the first known printed formula in 1884, with Old Tom gin, sweet vermouth and bitters, and says an 1891 formula uses genever.
The Martini Before It Was Dry
In our view, around 1900 a gin and vermouth cocktail was often equal parts, seasoned with dashes of bitters, a liqueur or absinthe. Through the twentieth century the vermouth shrank and the seasonings dropped away, until the dry Martini was gin, a little vermouth and a twist.
The Turf Club keeps the earlier shape. Our Martini is 60ml of gin to 10ml of vermouth; this is one to one with three seasonings, and it drinks rounder and softer than a dry Martini.
Turf Club and Tuxedo
The Tuxedo takes the same five bottles. On the IBA’s measures it is 30ml each of Old Tom and dry vermouth with 2.5ml of maraschino, 1.25ml of absinthe and three dashes of orange bitters.
Ours is larger, with twice the maraschino and absinthe, so the seasonings come through more. Made side by side, the pair shows how much a few millilitres change a stirred drink.
The Absinthe Question
Two and a half millilitres is half a teaspoon. Stirred into the drink, it adds a faint anise and herb note under the wine and juniper.
Rinsing the glass instead puts the anise on the nose and leaves little in the liquid, which suits a Sazerac. Doubling the measure buries the maraschino and the vermouth.
Johnson’s Recipe, Ours and the Tuxedo
Harry Johnson’s 1900 recipe beside ours and the Tuxedo
Gin
- Johnson, 1900
- Half a wine glass of Plymouth
- Turf Club (ours)
- 45ml Old Tom
- Tuxedo (IBA)
- 30ml Old Tom
Vermouth
- Johnson, 1900
- Half a wine glass of French
- Turf Club (ours)
- 45ml dry
- Tuxedo (IBA)
- 30ml dry
Maraschino
- Johnson, 1900
- Two or three dashes
- Turf Club (ours)
- 5ml
- Tuxedo (IBA)
- 2.5ml
Absinthe
- Johnson, 1900
- Two dashes
- Turf Club (ours)
- 2.5ml
- Tuxedo (IBA)
- 1.25ml
Orange bitters
- Johnson, 1900
- Two or three dashes
- Turf Club (ours)
- Two dashes
- Tuxedo (IBA)
- Three dashes
UK units
- Johnson, 1900
- Not stated
- Turf Club (ours)
- About 3.0
- Tuxedo (IBA)
- About 1.9
| Element | Johnson, 1900 | Turf Club (ours) | Tuxedo (IBA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gin | Half a wine glass of Plymouth | 45ml Old Tom | 30ml Old Tom |
| Vermouth | Half a wine glass of French | 45ml dry | 30ml dry |
| Maraschino | Two or three dashes | 5ml | 2.5ml |
| Absinthe | Two dashes | 2.5ml | 1.25ml |
| Orange bitters | Two or three dashes | Two dashes | Three dashes |
| UK units | Not stated | About 3.0 | About 1.9 |
How to Serve It
Stirred for 20 to 30 seconds over cubed ice and strained into a chilled Nick and Nora or small coupe, with a lemon twist expressed over the top and dropped in. Serve it cold, before dinner.
For the smaller, quieter version, make a Tuxedo; for gin and vermouth shaken, a Bradford; for the modern dry version, a Martini.
Make it at home
The Spirit
Old Tom GinOld Tom is gin with a little sugar added, counted at 40% ABV in our recipes, and rounder and softer than London Dry. The retained Regulation (EC) 110/2008 gives the name no definition: it is sold as gin, and because it is sweetened it cannot be labelled dry. Four of our recipes ask for it, the Tuxedo, the Turf Club, the Casino and the Ford Cocktail, where its sugar balances vermouth or lemon.
Master the Techniques
More to explore
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Turf Club cocktail?
How old is the Turf Club?
What is the difference between a Turf Club and a Tuxedo?
Do I have to use Old Tom gin?
Why stir the absinthe in rather than rinse the glass?
Why are the measures so small?
How strong is a Turf Club?
Sources.
Correct as of 19 October 2026.
- Difford’s Guide, “Turf Club (1900, Harry Johnson)” (secondary source, reproducing the text: Johnson’s Turf Cocktail from the revised 1900 New and Improved Bartenders’ Manual (large bar glass, ¾ shave ice, 2 or 3 dashes orange bitters, 2 or 3 maraschino, 2 dashes absinthe, ½ wine glass French vermouth, ½ wine glass Plymouth gin, olive); not in the 1882 or 1888 editions; Vermeire 1922 repeats it).
- Punch, “Time to join the Turf Club” (secondary source: first-known printed formula from 1884 with Old Tom gin, sweet vermouth and bitters; an 1891 formula uses genever; Johnson’s 1900 formula with Plymouth gin, dry vermouth, absinthe, maraschino and orange bitters).
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Tuxedo
A Tuxedo is 30ml of Old Tom gin and 30ml of dry vermouth with 2.5ml of maraschino, 1.25ml of absinthe and three dashes of orange bitters, stirred over ice for 20 to 30 seconds and strained into a chilled Nick and Nora glass with a lemon twist and a cherry. About 1.9 UK units. Those are the IBA’s measures, with its half and quarter bar spoons written in millilitres. It is a martini of the old equal-parts kind, with three seasonings measured almost in drops. The drink shares its name with the Tuxedo Club, near Tuxedo Park, New York, which Difford’s Guide says opened on 30 May 1886 and where the dinner jacket acquired its American name. The Hoffman House Bartender’s Guide of 1905 prints a Tuxedo Cocktail on Old Tom gin; Straub’s 1913 manual and the Savoy Cocktail Book of 1930 print versions on dry gin, and they do not all agree. The Old Tom matters. It is a lightly sweetened gin, and against an equal measure of dry vermouth, with almost no other sugar in the glass, that sweetness keeps the drink from turning sharp.
Martinez
A Martinez is 45ml London Dry gin and 45ml sweet vermouth with a bar spoon (5ml) of maraschino and two dashes of orange bitters, stirred with ice for 20 to 30 seconds and poured into a cold coupe under a twist of lemon peel. About 2.7 UK units. The measures follow the IBA. It is usually named as the Martini’s forerunner, and Punch says historians squabble over where it came from. O. H. Byron’s guide of 1884, in the Internet Archive’s scan, lists a Martinez as “Same as Manhattan, only you substitute gin for whisky”; Jerry Thomas’s Bar-Tender’s Guide of 1887, in the Internet Archive’s scan, gives a full recipe on Old Tom gin, with more vermouth than gin, maraschino and Boker’s bitters. Equal parts on London Dry makes a drier, sharper drink than those early versions. Old Tom gin, a shorter vermouth measure and Angostura make the softer, sweeter variation.
Casino
A Casino is 40ml of Old Tom gin, 10ml of maraschino liqueur, 10ml of fresh lemon juice and two dashes of orange bitters, shaken hard for 10 to 12 seconds and double strained into a chilled coupe, with a lemon twist and a maraschino cherry. About 2.0 UK units. The measures are the IBA’s. There is no syrup. Old Tom is a lightly sweetened gin, and that sweetness, with the maraschino’s, is all the sugar the lemon has to meet. With a London Dry the drink turns sharp. Difford’s Guide traces the Casino to Jacob A. Didier’s 1909 book The Reminder, and says Hugo Ensslin printed an almost identical recipe in 1916, in the same book that gave the first published Aviation. The two drinks share gin, maraschino and lemon; the Aviation adds crème de violette and moves to dry gin.
Where this one sits
Recipe by Jerry Can Spirits · Updated 19 October 2026