The Cloister is a crisp, dry gin cocktail that tastes like it was invented before Prohibition, sipped on in classy Art Nouveau hotel bars – but in fact, its earliest publication was in the 1971 Playboy Bartender’s Guide by Thomas Mario.
These days, you may find it served at PDT in New York, with just a touch of simple syrup added – a clever trick that better melds the gin, citrus, and herbal flavors.
Leave the aged, botanical, and other specialty gins on the shelf for this one; the Cloister requires a sharp, bracing London Dry like Beefeater or Tanqueray.
