The Tuxedo Recipe: A Martini's Elegant Cousin
The Tuxedo is a stirred, gin-forward martini variant built on Old Tom gin, dry vermouth, and a little maraschino and absinthe. It takes about four minutes to make. This recipe serves one.
- Basegin
- Strength32% ABV, approximate
- Methodstir
- Glasscoupe
- Difficultyeasy
- Total3 min
- Serves1
- Crisp
- Herbal
- Lightly sweet with a hint of anise
- Jigger or measuring spoons
- Bar spoon
- Fine strainer
- Mixing glass
The Tuxedo is what you get when a Martini puts on its best suit. It's a drink for the end of a long week, when you want something crisp and aromatic and you're tired of the same three cocktails. It takes Old Tom gin, which is slightly sweeter than London dry, and pairs it with dry vermouth in equal measure. Then comes the twist: a teaspoon of maraschino liqueur for a faint cherry-almond note, and a teaspoon of absinthe that doesn't announce itself so much as linger in the background.
This particular Tuxedo recipe is about restraint. It gets stirred, not shaken, because there's no citrus or dairy here — shaking would bruise the spirits and cloud the drink. The result is a crystal-clear pour with an anise edge. It's a drink that rewards good ingredients and a light hand. If you've never tried a Martini with Old Tom gin, this is a good place to start.
About the Tuxedo
The Tuxedo cocktail belongs to the Martini family, though its exact origins are disputed. It is widely credited to the Tuxedo Club in Tuxedo Park, New York, a town that gave the world both the drink and the jacket. The recipe appears in cocktail books from the late 19th century, and the 'No. 2' version, the one made with Old Tom gin and maraschino, became the more famous of the two. It is a drink of the pre-Prohibition era, when the Martini was still evolving away from sweetness. The Tuxedo is distinguished from a standard Martini by its use of Old Tom gin, which is sweeter than London dry, and by the small doses of maraschino and absinthe that round out the flavour.
Why it works
- 1Old Tom gin's slight sweetness bridges the gap between the botanicals and the dry vermouth, where a London dry gin would taste harsh.
- 2The teaspoon of maraschino adds a faint cherry-almond complexity without turning the drink sweet.
- 3Absinthe's anise character lifts the aromatics and makes the finish longer, but a teaspoon is enough to avoid dominating.
- 4Stirring with ice dilutes the spirit to around 25% water, which softens the alcohol burn and lets the herbal notes open up.
- 5Serving it up with no ice keeps the texture silky and the flavour concentrated.
Ingredients
Serves 1.
2.25 oz Old Tom Gin
2.25 oz Dry Vermouth
1 tsp Maraschino Liqueur- 1 tsp Absinthe
2 dash Orange Bitters- 2 dash Aromatic Bitters
ingredients
Old Tom gin is the heart of this drink. It's sweeter than London dry. The good ones taste of orange peel and a hint of spice. If you only have London dry, you can use it, but reduce the vermouth to 2 oz to compensate. The absinthe matters. Use a proper one, not pastis. You want the wormwood bitterness, not just anise sweetness. A teaspoon is a starting point; some bottles are more assertive than others, so taste before you commit.
You need: jigger or measuring spoons, bar spoon, fine strainer, mixing glass.
Method
Chill the coupe
Fill your coupe with ice and let it sit while you build the drink. This is not optional — a warm glass will melt your careful dilution and warm the spirit before it hits your lips.
Look for: Frost forming on the outside of the glass after about 60 seconds.
Common mistake: Skipping this step. A warm glass turns a 30-second stir into a watery, lukewarm mess.
Add the Old Tom gin, dry vermouth, maraschino, absinthe, orange bitters, and aromatic bitters to a mixing glass. Measure carefully, especially the absinthe — a heavy hand here turns the whole drink into a licorice bomb.
Look for: The spirits sit in a single clear layer, with nothing clouding them.
Common mistake: Overpouring the absinthe or maraschino. They're both potent; use a measuring spoon, not a free pour.
Fill the mixing glass three-quarters full with ice and stir for 25 to 30 seconds. You're not shaking — you're blending. The ice melts just enough to bring the drink to about 30 degrees Fahrenheit and soften the alcohol edge. Stir in a circular motion, keeping the bar spoon against the inside of the glass.
Look for: The outside of the mixing glass frosts over, and the liquid looks completely clear with a slight shimmer.
Common mistake: Stirring too long and over-diluting, which makes the drink taste flat and watery. 30 seconds is the ceiling, not the target.
Dump the ice out of your chilled coupe. Any water left behind will dilute the drink further and dilute the careful balance you just built.
Look for: The glass is dry inside and still cold to the touch.
Common mistake: Leaving ice cubes or water in the glass, which waters down the first sip.
Place a fine strainer over the mixing glass and strain the cocktail into the chilled coupe. The fine mesh catches any shards of ice or herb sediment from the bitters. Serve immediately — this drink doesn't wait.
Look for: A perfectly clear, pale amber liquid filling the glass with no ice or particles.
Common mistake: Using a Hawthorne strainer without a fine mesh, which lets tiny ice chips through into the drink.
Tips from the bar
- 1Chill your spirits in the freezer for 15 minutes before mixing. Colder ingredients mean less ice melt and a more concentrated drink.
- 2Stir with a bar spoon, not a regular spoon — the long handle gives you control and keeps your hand out of the glass.
- 3If your absinthe is very assertive, rinse the glass with it instead of adding it to the mix. Swirl a small amount, discard it, then build the drink.
- 4A lemon twist expressed over the surface adds a bright citrus note that lifts the anise. It's optional but recommended.
- 5Use good ice. Cloudy ice from a freezer tray melts faster and waters down the drink.
Variations
- Tuxedo No. 1: Use Plymouth or London dry gin and skip the maraschino. A drier, more austere drink.
- Tuxedo No. 3: Add a bar spoon of orange curaçao along with the other ingredients for a sweeter, more orange-forward finish.
- Bianco variation: Swap the dry vermouth for a blanc vermouth like Dolin Blanc. The drink becomes rounder and a touch sweeter.
Substitutions
- London dry gin instead of Old Tom: Use 2 oz gin and 2.25 oz vermouth to balance the extra dryness.
- Pastis instead of absinthe: Pastis is sweeter and less bitter, so you'll lose the wormwood edge. Use just a bar spoon.
- Luxardo maraschino instead of the cheaper stuff: It's more concentrated, so use half a teaspoon.
Serving, storing, batching
Serve this before a meal, not after. The crisp, herbal profile is a great palate cleanser and pairs well with oysters, salted almonds, or a charcuterie board. It's also a fine companion to a quiet evening and a book — it doesn't demand attention, it rewards it.
This drink is built to be consumed immediately — it doesn't keep. The spirits themselves, however, will last for months in a cool, dark place. Once opened, vermouth should be refrigerated and used within three months.
To scale for a party, multiply each ingredient by the number of guests and stir in a large pitcher with a big block of ice. Stir for 40 to 50 seconds to account for the larger volume, then strain into chilled coupes. Don't batch more than 30 minutes ahead — the drink will over-dilute.
Questions people ask
A Tuxedo martini, specifically the No. 2 version, combines 2.25 oz Old Tom gin, 2.25 oz dry vermouth, 1 tsp maraschino liqueur, 1 tsp absinthe, and a dash each of orange and aromatic bitters. It's stirred with ice and strained into a chilled coupe.
A standard Martini uses London dry gin and a smaller amount of dry vermouth, typically in a 3:1 or 2:1 ratio. The Tuxedo uses Old Tom gin and dry vermouth in equal parts, plus small amounts of maraschino and absinthe. The result is a sweeter, more aromatic drink.
Absinthe adds a subtle anise and wormwood bitterness that lifts the aromatics of the drink. In the Tuxedo, it's used in a very small amount, about a teaspoon, so it lingers in the background rather than dominating. It's what gives the drink its long, herbal finish.
The Tuxedo No. 1 is the older, simpler version of the drink. It uses London dry or Plymouth gin instead of Old Tom, and omits the maraschino liqueur. The result is a drier, more austere drink that's closer to a classic Martini with a hint of absinthe.
A Tuxedo coffee drink is not a cocktail — it's a layered espresso drink. It combines espresso with chocolate and orange flavors, often topped with a cream layer. It shares the name with the cocktail but contains no gin or vermouth.
A Canadian Tuxedo is a playful name for a drink made with Canadian whisky, usually blended with dry vermouth and a small amount of maraschino or orange bitters. It's a whisky-based variation on the Tuxedo cocktail, swapping gin for rye or Canadian whisky.
Stirred, always. The Tuxedo contains no citrus, dairy, or egg, so shaking would be a mistake — it would aerate the spirits and cloud the drink. Stirring with ice gently dilutes and chills the cocktail while keeping it crystal clear.
A chilled coupe is the traditional choice. The wide, shallow bowl lets the aromatics open up and keeps the drink cold without a lot of surface area. A Nick and Nora glass also works well. Avoid rocks glasses — the drink is meant to be served up, without ice.
You can, but it won't be a Tuxedo. The absinthe gives the drink its signature herbal, anise finish. If you don't have absinthe, you could try a bar spoon of pastis or ouzo, but the result will be sweeter and less bitter. Better to make a classic Martini instead.
A Tuxedo is a spirit-forward drink at around 32% ABV. That's slightly lower than a standard Martini because of the higher proportion of vermouth. It's a drink to sip slowly, not to rush.
The Tuxedo No. 3 is a lesser-known variation that adds a bar spoon of orange curaçao to the No. 2 formula. The curaçao adds a sweet, orange-forward character that rounds out the drink and makes it more approachable for those who find the classic too dry.
Last word
The Tuxedo is a cocktail with a quiet confidence. It's not flashy, but it's precise — a drink that rewards careful measuring and a steady hand. Next time you want a Martini but want something with a bit more character, give this one a stir.
