Classic cocktail · Guided recipe

Suburban

Three brown spirits in one glass, and the port is what you notice first. Rye brings the spice, dark rum the molasses, ruby port the dried fruit underneath. Heavy and wine-dark, built on ice and meant to be worked through slowly.

Preparation~2 minSuper easyStrengthStrongabout 39% ABVMethodStirred8 guided stepsIngredients5Short (rocks) glass

Spirit-forward

In the glassRye whiskey · Ruby port · Dark rum · Angostura bitters · Orange bitters

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

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What goes in

Ingredients

An empty clear rocks glass with low straight sides and a heavy base. — Serving glassRocks glass

Set up before you pour

Use a rocks glass.

The low, sturdy bowl suits concentrated drinks and gives one large cube enough width.

Standard size: 300 ml10¼ oz
Ice & serve: Fill it with fresh ice cubes.
If you don’t own one: Use a small water tumbler with a heavy base.

Tools to set out

jigger or measuring spoon

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Scale to your short (rocks) glassWe’ll remember this glass size.

Rye whiskey45 ml
Ruby port15 ml
Dark rum15 ml
Angostura bitters2 dashes
Orange bitters2 dashes

Start making

From bottle to glass

Method

01
Ice the glass
Fill the glass with ice
02
Measure and pour
Pour 45 ml rye whiskey
- Rye whiskey
03
Measure and pour
Add 15 ml ruby port
- Ruby port
04
Measure and pour
Add 15 ml dark rum
- Dark rum
05
Measure and pour
Add 2 dashes Angostura
- Angostura bitters
06
Measure and pour
Add 2 dashes orange bitters
- Orange bitters
07
Stir around the ice
Stir gently to combine
08
Finish the drink
Finish it — add an orange slice

Know your drink

About the Suburban

An Old Fashioned, Whiskey Sour and sparkling whiskey highball in a warm library bar.

Sheepshead Bay to the Waldorf

Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn ran a stakes race called the Suburban Handicap, and the drink is usually credited to the Waldorf-Astoria bar that served the men who bet on it. Albert Stevens Crockett printed it among the hotel's recipes in the 1930s, which is as far back as the paper trail reliably goes.

Port doesn't keep. Once open, a bottle of ruby holds about a week in the fridge before it goes stewed and flat, which is a nuisance when the drink only needs 15 ml. Half-bottles exist for exactly this reason, and a supermarket ruby is honestly fine in a build this loud.

Common questions

Suburban FAQ

Will tawny port work instead of ruby?

It will, but you lose the fruit. Ruby port is young and grapey, which is what stands up to the rye. Tawny is nuttier and more oxidized, so the drink drifts toward sherry territory and the orange garnish stops making much sense.

What kind of dark rum should go in?

Something with body rather than color. A Jamaican or Demerara rum at 40 to 43 percent gives you molasses and a little funk to argue with the port. Spiced rum flattens the whole thing into vanilla, and blackstrap will bulldoze the whiskey.

Mine tastes muddy and indistinct. What's wrong?

Usually the rye. At 45 ml against 30 ml of sweet, fruity modifiers, a soft 40 percent whiskey simply disappears. Reach for a rye at 45 percent or higher with real pepper to it, and use one large cube so it doesn't dilute out.

How strong does it actually drink?

Stronger than it reads. Port is wine strength, so it softens the aroma without cutting much alcohol, and the whole build is spirit and fortified wine with no juice anywhere. One is a nightcap. Two is a decision.

What ingredients are in a Suburban?

A classic Suburban calls for 45 ml (1.5 oz) Rye whiskey, 15 ml (0.5 oz) Ruby port, 15 ml (0.5 oz) Dark rum, 2 dashes Angostura Angostura bitters, 2 dashes orange bitters Orange bitters. That single-serve spec scales cleanly — the recipe above converts it to oz and multiplies it for 2–4 drinks.

Is a Suburban shaken or stirred?

A Suburban is stirred, not shaken. It contains no citrus juice, so stirring keeps it crystal clear and silky instead of cloudy and aerated.

What glass do you serve a Suburban in?

Serve a Suburban in a rocks glass (old fashioned glass), over fresh ice cubes.

Sharpen the technique