Betsy Ross
Cognac, port, a dash of orange liqueur and bitters, stirred. A mid-century patriotic drink that is a brandy Manhattan with port in place of vermouth — and better than the name suggests.
Built to the standard modern spec; not yet tested in our kitchen. How we test.
The recipe.
Scaling adjusts quantities only. Prepare shaken drinks in individual portions.
Let’s make a good drink.
Chill a coupe.
Add the cognac, port, orange liqueur and bitters to a mixing glass.
Fill with ice and stir for 25 seconds.
Strain into the chilled coupe and grate a little nutmeg over the top if you like.
A thoughtful finish
- A ruby port makes a fruitier, brighter drink; a tawny makes a nuttier, softer one. Both are correct.
- Equal parts is the 1940s recipe; two to one cognac to port makes it drier and more of a cocktail.
- A grating of nutmeg is not in the original and suits it.
Common mistakes
- Vintage port, which is wasted.
- Too much orange liqueur; a bar-spoon.
- Shaking.
A few good questions.
What does a Betsy Ross taste like?
A brandy Manhattan with port in place of vermouth — richer, fruitier, a little sweeter, with orange and spice.
Who was Betsy Ross?
The Philadelphia seamstress credited, by family tradition, with sewing the first American flag in 1776. The drink is a patriotic name on a brandy cocktail.
Ruby or tawny port?
Either. Ruby is fruitier; tawny is nuttier and drier.
Can I make it with bourbon?
Yes — bourbon and port with bitters is a fine winter drink, if no longer a Betsy Ross.
Variations
- Manhattan — Rye and sweet vermouth.
- Suburban — Rye, rum and port.
- Brandy Flip — Brandy, egg and sugar.
- Vieux Carré — Rye, cognac, vermouth and Bénédictine.
Where it comes from
c. 1940s · United States
Contested. More than one origin is claimed for this drink. We show the competing accounts rather than pick one.
The Betsy Ross appears in American bar books of the 1940s — Crosby Gaige’s Standard Cocktail Guide of 1944 among them — as brandy and port in roughly equal parts with a dash of curaçao and Angostura, named for the seamstress credited with the first American flag. Its inventor is unrecorded. It belongs to the small family of port cocktails that mid-century America enjoyed and then forgot, and it is a rich, after-dinner stirred drink in which the port does the vermouth’s work with more fruit.
Sources
- Crosby Gaige, The Standard Cocktail Guide, 1944 (book)
- Ted Haigh, Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails, 2009 (book)
- Difford's Guide, Betsy Ross, 2015 (reference)
Strength. About 1.64 US standard drinks at an estimated 25.6% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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