The Million Dollar is a delightfully frothy, silky gin cocktail that doesn’t taste nearly as vermouth-forward as its recipe might indicate. It has a beautiful coral color that just begs to be served in your daintiest, loveliest glass. Like many ancestral cocktails, it’s measured in small portions – leave your giant 11oz Crate & Barrel oversized martini glasses on the shelf for this one.
The origins of the Million Dollar Cocktail are hazy, but it’s typically credited to either Ngiam Tong Boon at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore 1910, or else Louis Eppinger at the Grand Hotel in Yokohama further back in 1884.
It never made much of a splash outside of Asia, but to this day you’ll find it served in upscale hotel bars in Japan. It’s even made its way into popular culture, popping up in anime like Bartender and Hinamatsuri.
