Classic cocktail · Guided recipe
Old Pal
Start makingA drier, whiskey-based cousin of the Negroni: rye, dry vermouth and Campari in equal parts.
In the glassRye whiskey · Dry vermouth · Campari
See exact amounts
What goes in
Ingredients
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.
- cocktail shaker
- strainer (or a small sieve)
- jigger or measuring spoon
- Rye whiskey30 ml
- Dry vermouth30 ml
- Campari30 ml
From bottle to glass
Method
- 01
Measure into the shaker Pour 30 ml rye whiskey into your shaker
Rye whiskey
- 02
Measure into the shaker Add 30 ml dry vermouth
Dry vermouth
- 03
Measure into the shaker Add 30 ml campari
Campari
- 04
Ice the shaker Fill the shaker with ice
- 05
Seal and shake Seal and shake hard
- 06
Strain cleanly Strain into a chilled glass — no ice
Know your drink
About the Old Pal
Credited to a sportswriter
Harry MacElhone's books put this one down to William 'Sparrow' Robertson, a sportswriter who drank at the Paris Herald end of the bar in the 1920s. The recipe printed there is the equal-parts version still used today. Whether Robertson invented it or simply ordered it often enough to get the credit is the sort of question Paris bar history rarely settles.
Vermouth quality shows more here than in almost any other drink, because a third of the glass is vermouth and there is no citrus or sugar to hide behind. Dolin Dry is the dependable choice. Something bone-dry and cheap leaves the Campari sounding like it is standing there alone, which is not the same thing as dry.
Common questions
Old Pal FAQ
What separates this from a Boulevardier?
One ingredient, mostly. A Boulevardier uses sweet vermouth and usually bourbon, so it comes out round and faintly jammy. Move to dry vermouth and rye and the sugar drops away, the rye pepper steps forward, and the Campari finish hangs around noticeably longer.
My rye disappears into the Campari. What should I buy?
Something with real rye grain and some proof behind it. Campari and dry vermouth are both assertive, and a soft wheated whiskey vanishes under them. Rittenhouse and Wild Turkey rye are the usual choices precisely because they are bottled at 50 percent or above.
How long does an open bottle of dry vermouth last?
About three weeks in the fridge, and it starts fading well before that. Dry vermouth is fortified wine, not a spirit, and it oxidizes like wine does. If yours smells like old sherry or tastes flat, that is why your drink went dull. Buy the small bottles.
Can I soften it without reaching for sweet vermouth?
Drop the Campari to 22 ml and raise the rye to 37. That keeps the drink recognizably itself while giving the whiskey some room to speak. Adding sugar is the wrong fix here. It just makes a badly built Boulevardier rather than a gentler Old Pal.
What ingredients are in an Old Pal?
A classic Old Pal calls for 30 ml (1 oz) Rye whiskey, 30 ml (1 oz) Dry vermouth, 30 ml (1 oz) Campari. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.
How strong is an Old Pal?
A standard Old Pal is roughly 29% 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 an Old Pal shaken or stirred?
An Old Pal is shaken. About 13 seconds with plenty of ice chills and dilutes it correctly.
Sharpen the technique
Skills used in this recipe
Where to go next
If you like the Old Pal, try these.
Old Cuban
Audrey Saunders’ dressed-up mojito: aged rum, lime, mint and bitters shaken and topped with champagne. Elegant and sparkling.
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Old Fashioned
The Old Fashioned is the original cocktail: good bourbon, a little sugar, a couple of dashes of bitters and a big cube of ice. Nothing hides — so use a whiskey you actually like.
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Oaxaca Old Fashioned
A smoky agave Old Fashioned: reposado tequila and mezcal with agave and bitters, over a big cube. A modern classic.
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