Old Pal
Ingredients:
1oz Rye
1oz Dry Vermouth
1oz Campari
Lemon Twist
Instructions:
Add liquids to a mixing glass. Add ice and stir. Serve in a chilled coupe. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Notes:
Dry and bitter with citrus undertones, this cocktail seems to hold up better with a 90 proof rye. The original recipe calls for equal parts rye, dry vermouth and Campari, but many make it with 2:1:1 ratio of rye:vermouth:Campari.
The Old Pal has a similar taste to the Boulevardier, but noticeably drier from the choice of vermouth. While a decent one to try, most prefer the Boulevardier.
History:
Another one credited to Harry McElhone, the Old Pal is one of the two first published cocktails to use Campari. The Old Pal was first published in McElhone’s Barflies and Cocktails (1927), the same book as the Boulevardier. In fact they are very similar drinks, that vary solely by vermouth (dry vs. sweet) and twist (lemon vs. orange).
Variations:
Swap the Dolin Dry for Dolin Blanc to give this drink a sweeter taste, further blurring the distinction between the Old Pal and Boulevardier.
The Straight Up 
5 Responses to “Old Pal”
[…] Old Pal […]
[…] and Martini, but more “orangey.” If you are at all a fan of the Negroni, Boulevardier, Old Pal, or like Martini’s and Campari, you owe it to yourself to try Lucien Gaudin. It’s […]
[…] For our final example, we will add one more very useful ingredient, Dry Vermouth. Again dry vermouth will come in handy for making other cocktails as well (ever had a Martini?). If you swap out the sweet vermouth in the Boulevardier for dry vermouth (and stick with Rye), you will have an Old Pal. […]
[…] in dry vermouth to make anOld Pal: […]
[…] I love it now, it took me a long time to “develop my palate” enough to appreciate the Old Pal. It’s also been hit or miss among friends as well, which left me wondering: How can I make […]