Pink Squirrel
Crème de noyaux, white crème de cacao and cream, shaken. A 1941 Milwaukee invention, pink from almond liqueur — and in Wisconsin, blended with ice cream.
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 crème de noyaux, white crème de cacao and cream to a shaker.
Fill with ice and shake hard for 12 seconds — cream drinks want a long shake.
Double strain into the chilled coupe. For the ice-cream version, blend the liqueurs with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a little ice instead.
A thoughtful finish
- Crème de noyaux is scarce; a good amaretto with a drop of real grenadine gives the almond and the pink. Tempus Fugit makes the proper one.
- Shake it longer than you think. Cream needs cold and aeration to turn silky.
- The Wisconsin ice-cream version is a dessert and is meant to be; serve it in a wine glass with a straw.
Common mistakes
- Dark crème de cacao, which turns it brown.
- A warm glass; cream drinks go flabby fast.
- Milk in place of cream. It is thin and the drink collapses.
A few good questions.
What is crème de noyaux?
An almond-flavoured liqueur made from apricot or peach kernels, traditionally pink. It is the drink's colour and its flavour, and it is hard to find; amaretto and a drop of grenadine stand in.
Why is it pink?
The noyaux is coloured. Without it, the drink is white.
Shaken or blended?
Bryant's original is shaken and served up. The Wisconsin supper-club version blends it with vanilla ice cream, and that is the version most Midwesterners know.
Is it a Grasshopper?
A cousin: the Grasshopper is crème de menthe, crème de cacao and cream; the Pink Squirrel swaps the mint for almond.
Variations
- Grasshopper — Crème de menthe, crème de cacao and cream.
- Brandy Alexander — Cognac, crème de cacao and cream.
- Golden Cadillac — Galliano, crème de cacao and cream.
- Toasted Almond — Amaretto, coffee liqueur and cream.
Where it comes from
1941 · Milwaukee, Wisconsin · Bryant Sharp · Bryant's Cocktail Lounge
Bryant Sharp opened Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge in Milwaukee in 1938 and created the Pink Squirrel there in 1941 — crème de noyaux, the pink almond liqueur made from apricot kernels, with white crème de cacao and cream, shaken and served up. It joined the Grasshopper and the Brandy Alexander as one of the great mid-century cream cocktails, and in Wisconsin supper clubs it is made with vanilla ice cream in a blender, which is how most Wisconsinites have met it. Bryant’s still serves the original. The drink is pink because noyaux is dyed; the almond flavour is real.
Sources
- Bryant's Cocktail Lounge, house history, 1941 (archive)
- Difford's Guide, Pink Squirrel, 2015 (reference)
- Robert Simonson, A Proper Drink, 2016 (book)
Strength. About 0.55 US standard drinks at an estimated 8.8% ABV, estimated from the ingredients and technique, not measured. What that means.
A little character in every sip.
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