Classic cocktail · Guided recipe

Little Devil

Two base spirits at 30 ml each, neither given the lead. Gin's juniper and rum's cane pull in opposite directions and the lemon keeps them from settling. Sharper than either spirit alone, and stronger than the small measures suggest.

Preparation~2 minEasyStrengthStrongabout 33% ABVMethodShaken8 guided stepsIngredients4Coupe or martini glass

Sour

In the glassWhite rum · Gin · Triple sec / Cointreau · Fresh lemon juice

See exact amounts

Make it with guidanceOne clear action at a time, with timers built in.

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What goes in

Ingredients

An empty clear coupe glass with a shallow rounded bowl and slender stem. — Serving glassCoupe glass

Set up before you pour

Use a coupe glass.

The stem keeps your hand away from a cold drink, while the rounded bowl makes an up serve easy to sip.

Standard size: 200 ml6¾ oz
Ice & serve: Chill it first; serve without ice.
If you don’t own one: Use a small martini glass or stemmed dessert glass.

Tools to set out

cocktail shaker
strainer (or a small sieve)
jigger or measuring spoon

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Scale to your coupe or martini glassWe’ll remember this glass size.

White rum30 ml
Gin30 ml
Triple sec / Cointreau8 ml
Fresh lemon juice15 ml

Start making

From bottle to glass

Method

01
Measure into the shaker
Pour 30 ml white rum into your shaker
- White rum
02
Measure into the shaker
Add 30 ml gin
- Gin
03
Measure into the shaker
Add 8 ml triple sec / cointreau
- Triple sec / Cointreau
04
Measure into the shaker
Add 15 ml fresh lemon juice
- Fresh lemon juice
05
Ice the shaker
Fill the shaker with ice
Why it mattersFill it right up — more ice chills faster with less watering down.
06
Seal and shake
Seal and shake hard
Why it mattersCold hands mean it’s working. Shake until the tin frosts over.
07
Strain cleanly
Strain into a chilled glass — no ice
Why it mattersPour through the strainer so the spent shaker ice stays behind.
08
Finish the drink
Finish it — add a lemon slice

Know your drink

About the Little Devil

A Daiquiri, minty rum highball and dark rum rocks drink at a sunset terrace bar.

Two spirits, one base

Splitting a base between two spirits was common enough in the 1920s and 1930s, when bars worked with whatever the case held. Gin and rum look like a mismatch on paper. In the glass, juniper and pine sit above the cane sweetness rather than fighting it, and lemon stitches the two halves together.

Proportion is the thing to guard. Move it to 45 ml gin and 15 rum and you have a White Lady with an accent; reverse it and the gin becomes a curiosity in a rum sour. Thirty and thirty keeps both spirits identifiable, which is the only reason to make it.

Common questions

Little Devil FAQ

The rum disappears under the gin. Is that the split's fault?

More likely the bottles. Gin usually lands between 40 and 47 percent, while a supermarket white rum often sits at 37.5, so the gin arrives first and stays longest. Match them on proof before you touch the 30/30 split, or you end up with gin and a rum-shaped hole.

Why is it so dry when there's liqueur in it?

Eight milliliters of triple sec against 15 of lemon is nowhere near what a sour usually carries. That is deliberate. If you want it drinkable rather than austere, push the liqueur to 12 ml or add 4 ml of syrup, one or the other, not both at once.

Could I make it with all gin, or all rum?

All gin gives you something near a White Lady with less sugar. All rum lands close to a dry Daiquiri with orange in it. Both are respectable drinks, and neither has the friction between the two spirits that makes this one worth opening two bottles for.

What ingredients are in a Little Devil?

A classic Little Devil calls for 30 ml (1 oz) White rum, 30 ml (1 oz) Gin, 8 ml (0.25 oz) Triple sec / Cointreau, 15 ml (0.5 oz) Fresh lemon juice. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.

How strong is a Little Devil?

A standard Little Devil is roughly 33% ABV once mixed (before ice melt softens it further). That makes it spirit-forward — closer to a Martini than to a beer, so sip it slowly.

Is a Little Devil shaken or stirred?

A Little Devil is shaken — the rule of thumb is to shake anything with citrus juice. About 13 seconds with plenty of ice chills and dilutes it correctly.

What glass do you serve a Little Devil in?

Serve a Little Devil in a chilled coupe glass, well chilled — this drink is served without ice, so a cold glass keeps it cold.

Sharpen the technique