Monkey Gland – Original Recipe & History

The Monkey Gland Cocktail And The History Behind It’s Name.

This is a fantastic English cocktail, invented in the 1920s by Harry MacElhone. First printed in the 1923 book “Harry of Ciro’s ABC of Mixing” by Harry MacElhone, the monkey gland is a lovely balance of herbal and orange flavors. Funny enough, the name for this cocktail comes from the French-Russian surgeon Dr. Serge Voronoff. Dr. Voronoff. Dr. Voronoff theorized that transplanting more vital animal body parts onto people would strengthen the subject. He was particularly interested in animal testicles and believed mental and physical issues resulted from poor sexual vigor. Seeing how chimpanzees were biologically very similar, he tried to graf monkey testicles onto “dumb” individuals, and amazingly, in a year, these subjects were intelligent and fit. of course, this was a hoax but its Dr. Voronoff’s experiments that is the history behind this cocktails name.

The Influential Scottish Barman Harry MacElhone.

Harry MacElhone is considered one of the great early European bartenders, along with others like Harry Craddock and William Tarling. During his life, MacElhone published three books, “Harry of Ciro,” “Barflies and Cocktails,” and “Harry of The New York Bar.” He is credited with inventing a few classics like the White Lady, Monkey Gland, and the Between the Sheets. He is also recognized for being the first to record other classics like the Side-Car, Boulevardier, and Old Pal and helping to preserve their history. Harry eventually purchased the New York Bar in Paris, France, which his family still runs today.

Recipe Resources

• 1923 Harry of Ciro’s ABC of Mixing – Harry MacElhone
• 1927 Barfies and Cocktails – Harry MacElhone
• 1930 Harry of The New York Bar (Paris) – Harry MacElhone