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Piccadilly Cocktail is a quiet, old-school stirred drink built on gin and dry vermouth, with just a whisper of anise and a drop of grenadine rounding out the edges. It doesn’t try to do much, and that’s the appeal. The anise adds a faint licorice note in the background rather than up front, and the grenadine is there for a touch of color and roundness, not sweetness you’d actually notice. Stirred cold and strained clean, it pours pale and dry, closer in spirit to a Martini than anything fruity or citrus-forward.
This is a good pick if you want something spirit-forward without reaching for a straight Martini. The small amounts of anise and grenadine give it a bit more personality without turning it into a different drink entirely, gin and dry vermouth are still clearly running the show.
Glass: Cocktail glass | Strength: Strong | Serves: 1 | Prep Time: 3 minutes
Bartender’s tip: A quarter teaspoon each of anise and grenadine sounds like nothing, but they’re doing real work here, don’t skip them thinking they won’t matter, the drink reads noticeably flatter without them.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 oz gin
- 3/4 oz dry vermouth
- 1/4 tsp anise (such as Pernod or anisette)
- 1/4 tsp grenadine
Steps
- Combine and stir: Add the gin, dry vermouth, anise, and grenadine to a mixing glass with ice. Stir for about 20 to 30 seconds until well chilled.
- Strain and serve: Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and serve immediately.
