The Income Tax Cocktail

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 oz gin
1/4 oz dry vermouth
1/4 oz sweet vermouth
1 oz orange juice
1 dash Angostura bitters
Optional Garnish: Orange Twist

Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously, Strain into a cocktail glass, Garnish with an orange twist.

Serve in Cocktail glass

History

From: www.thekitchn.com

Yes, believe it or not, there really is a drink called the Income Tax cocktail. And what better day than April 15th to give this gin-based classic a try?

An old-timey concoction dating back to the late 1920s, the Income Tax cocktail is basically a Bronx cocktail (gin, sweet vermouth, dry vermouth, and orange juice) with an added dash of aromatic bitters.

I did a little reading in the hopes of discovering a colorful — if somewhat apocryphal — story behind this drink's creation, but perhaps in keeping with the Income Tax's no-nonsense name, it was all just the (plain and unromantic) facts, ma'am.

General consensus is, though, that the bitters are included in the recipe as a wink and a nod to the "bitterness" of tax season. After many bleary-eyed hours spent chasing after wayward slips of paper, and checking and rechecking digits and decimal points, I think many of us can relate to that.

In the many published recipes for this drink, ingredient proportions tend to vary widely. (Equal parts sweet vermouth, dry vermouth, and orange juice? Or dial back the two vermouths, and amp up the juice? A full shot of gin or just a little? Add one dash of bitters or two?) I experimented a bit and found my own personal favorite: heavy on the juice, light on the vermouth and bitters.

Cocktail Conundrums: How much is acutally a dash?