Pegu Club
Alessandro Scire CalabrisottoShare
Tart, aromatic and steeped in colonial-era romance, the Pegu Club is a gin lover's classic with a story that stretches from the British Empire in Burma to the heart of the modern cocktail revival. Balancing gin, orange liqueur, lime and a double hit of bitters, it is sophisticated, bracing and quietly addictive.
History of the Pegu Club
The Pegu Club takes its name from a celebrated gentlemen's club in Rangoon, in what was then British Burma. Established in the late nineteenth century, the club was a social hub for British officers and colonial administrators, and the cocktail that bore its name became its signature serve.
The drink was immortalised in print by Harry Craddock in The Savoy Cocktail Book of 1930, where it was noted as a cocktail that had travelled around the world. After fading from view for much of the twentieth century, the Pegu Club enjoyed a triumphant revival during the modern craft cocktail movement — so much so that the influential bartender Audrey Saunders named her acclaimed New York bar after it, helping to reintroduce the drink to a new generation of enthusiasts.
Recipe: How to Make a Classic Pegu Club
Ingredients:
- 60 ml (2 oz) gin
- 22.5 ml (0.75 oz) orange curacao
- 15 ml (0.5 oz) fresh lime juice
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters and 1 dash orange bitters
Instructions:
- Add the gin, orange curacao, lime juice and both bitters to a shaker filled with ice.
- Shake hard for around 12 to 15 seconds until well chilled.
- Double-strain into a chilled coupe glass.
- Garnish with a lime twist and serve immediately.
Tips for Perfection:
- Use a good-quality orange curacao with real depth of flavour, as it provides much of the drink's character.
- Do not skip the bitters — the combination of Angostura and orange bitters is essential to the cocktail's signature complexity.
- Use freshly squeezed lime juice to keep the drink sharp, bright and well balanced.
Additional Recommendations
Variations:
- Navy-strength Pegu: using a higher-proof gin for a bolder, more assertive drink.
- Triple sec twist: substituting a quality triple sec for the curacao for a slightly drier profile.
- Lemon Pegu: swapping lime for lemon for a softer, rounder citrus note.
Pairings:
- Spiced Southeast Asian small plates.
- Salted nuts and crisp crackers.
- Mild curries and satay.
Presentation:
- Serve straight up in a chilled coupe for an elegant, vintage feel.
- Finish with an expressed lime twist to lift the aroma.
Curiosity: A Fun Fact About the Pegu Club
The Pegu Club's modern revival owes much to a bar of the same name in New York, opened by pioneering bartender Audrey Saunders in the mid-2000s. That influential venue became a training ground for a generation of celebrated bartenders, ensuring the colonial-era classic lived on far beyond its Burmese origins.