EAST INDIA COCKTAIL
East India Cocktail: An 1882 Classic Brandy and Pineapple Drink
The East India Cocktail first appeared in Harry Johnson's 1882 "New and Improved Bartender's Manual." Johnson claimed it was favored by English residents living in East India, though his authority for this statement remains unclear.
The cocktail was named after the British East India Company, which dissolved in 1874—eight years before the drink's documented publication. Johnson's original 1882 recipe specified brandy, red curaçao, raspberry syrup, maraschino liqueur, and Angostura bitters, stirred and served in a cocktail glass with a lemon twist. In his 1888 edition, Johnson revised the formula significantly, replacing raspberry syrup with pineapple syrup and switching from Angostura to Boker's bitters. This pineapple variation became widely accepted, and the two versions are often distinguished as East India No. 1 (raspberry) and No. 2 (pineapple). Harry Craddock's influential 1930 "Savoy Cocktail Book" further modified the recipe, eliminating maraschino liqueur entirely and substituting pineapple juice for the traditional pineapple syrup. Despite these numerous variations across different published editions, cognac, curaçao, and aromatic bitters have remained constant core ingredients throughout the cocktail's evolution. The East India represents an "improved" style cocktail, where a quality base spirit is elegantly enhanced with small amounts of flavorful modifiers, creating a spirit-forward sipper with subtle tropical notes.
RECIPE:
2 oz cognac or brandy
1 tsp pineapple syrup
1 tsp curaçao
2 dashes maraschino liqueur
2-3 dashes Angostura bitters
Method:
Add all ingredients to mixing glass with ice
Stir until well chilled
Strain into chilled cocktail glass
Garnish with lemon twist and brandied cherry or pineapple