Monkey Gland

Both turn up in print and they make different drinks. Absinthe gives a cool anise edge that cuts across the orange juice. Benedictine goes the other way, adding honey, herbs and more weight. Nobody has settled which came first, so pour whichever bottle you already own.

Measure it rather than free-pouring from the bottle. Absinthe at 60-plus percent will run straight over 60 ml of gin from a splash, and the neck of most bottles pours faster than a dash. Use a dropper or a bar spoon, and add it last so you can taste before the second one.

Yes, with a lighter hand. Pastis is sweeter, lower in proof and much less complicated, so it reads as plain anise where absinthe brings wormwood and a cold, bitter edge behind it. Use the same two dashes and expect a softer drink. Herbsaint is closer if you can find it.

Because orange juice masks alcohol better than almost anything else behind a bar. Sixty milliliters of gin is a double, and 30 ml of juice barely dilutes it, so the finished glass sits near 20 percent. It tastes like breakfast and it is not breakfast.

A classic Monkey Gland calls for 60 ml (2 oz) Gin, 30 ml (1 oz) Orange juice, 8 ml (0.25 oz) Grenadine, 2 dashes absinthe Absinthe. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.

A standard Monkey Gland is roughly 24% 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.

A Monkey Gland is shaken. About 13 seconds with plenty of ice chills and dilutes it correctly.