They exist, the little gems that you can find hidden in old books. La Rafale is one of them. Who would have thought that gin and calvados would harmonise so wonderfully with a Quinquina?
40 ml ml Cap Corse blanc 20 ml Chateau de Breuil VSOP Calvados 20 ml Rutte Dry Gin
Preparation: Stirred.
Alternatively and currently preferred by us:
40 ml Homemade Lillet (1 Canellese Musk Bitter : 1.5 Frontignan) 20 ml Drouin Blanche de Normandie Calvados 20 ml Finsbury 47 gin
Preparation: 3 ice cubes, stirred for 15 seconds (45 times).
La Rafale is first and only described in F. Koki’s manuscript [4] as a combination of Quinquina (Saint Raphaël white), gin and Calvados.
From 1938 onwards, one occasionally comes across a cocktail with the same name, consisting either of Saint Raphaël, gin and Campari or of Saint Raphaël, cherry, gin and sherry. We safely ignore the latter, because it was apparently only published once and does not have the older naming rights. The former can be understood as a variation of the Ebner Cocktail. We have only found it in the work of Jacob Abraham Grohusko, and it consists of equal parts of Saint Raphaël and gin. In more recent recipes (from 1916 onwards), Dubonnet and gin are also used (which makes it a Zaza Cocktail). We have added the corresponding recipes at the end of this article.
Where the drink got its name from can only be guessed at. It is possible that it was named after the French silent movie “La Rafale” from 1920. Literally translated, “la rafale” means nothing other than a gust of wind. [1][2] A time-wise connection with the release of the film is possible, because F. Koki’s manuscript is said to date from 1930 and to have been written in Prague at the Esplanade Hotel. This hotel was opened in 1927 and is considered one of the most famous hotels of the First Czechoslovak Republic. [3] It is therefore quite possible that “La Rafale” was created in this hotel or even in the years before.
As we didn’t have a Saint Raphaël in the house, we opted alternatively for another white Quinquina, the Cap Corse blanc. It works perfectly.
Alternativ heißt dieser Drink bei A. Vermeys auch Le Saint-Raphael Cocktail.
1948 Jean Lupoiu: Cocktails. Seite 68. Le Rafale Cocktail.
Dans le verre à mélange: 2 jets de Bitter Campari, 1/6 de Saint- Raphaël rouge, 1/6 de Saint-Raphaël blanc, 2/3 Booth’s Yellow Gin. Mélanger et servir.
1960 Anonymus: Tout les cocktails et les boissons refraichissantes. Seite 94. Rafale.
40 ml ml Cap Corse blanc
20 ml Chateau de Breuil VSOP Calvados
20 ml Rutte Dry Gin
Preparation: Stirred.
Alternatively and currently preferred by us:
40 ml Homemade Lillet (1 Canellese Musk Bitter : 1.5 Frontignan)
20 ml Drouin Blanche de Normandie Calvados
20 ml Finsbury 47 gin
Preparation: 3 ice cubes, stirred for 15 seconds (45 times).
La Rafale is first and only described in F. Koki’s manuscript [4] as a combination of Quinquina (Saint Raphaël white), gin and Calvados.
From 1938 onwards, one occasionally comes across a cocktail with the same name, consisting either of Saint Raphaël, gin and Campari or of Saint Raphaël, cherry, gin and sherry. We safely ignore the latter, because it was apparently only published once and does not have the older naming rights. The former can be understood as a variation of the Ebner Cocktail. We have only found it in the work of Jacob Abraham Grohusko, and it consists of equal parts of Saint Raphaël and gin. In more recent recipes (from 1916 onwards), Dubonnet and gin are also used (which makes it a Zaza Cocktail). We have added the corresponding recipes at the end of this article.
Where the drink got its name from can only be guessed at. It is possible that it was named after the French silent movie “La Rafale” from 1920. Literally translated, “la rafale” means nothing other than a gust of wind. [1] [2] A time-wise connection with the release of the film is possible, because F. Koki’s manuscript is said to date from 1930 and to have been written in Prague at the Esplanade Hotel. This hotel was opened in 1927 and is considered one of the most famous hotels of the First Czechoslovak Republic. [3] It is therefore quite possible that “La Rafale” was created in this hotel or even in the years before.
As we didn’t have a Saint Raphaël in the house, we opted alternatively for another white Quinquina, the Cap Corse blanc. It works perfectly.
Sources
Historical recipes
1930 F. Koki: Cocktails. La Rafale.
Barglas mit Kristalleis.
1/2 Cocktailglas St.Raphael weiss,
1/4 ” Dry Gin,
1/4 ” Calvados.
Mische mit Barlöffel!
1938 Jean Lupoiu: Cocktails. Seite 92. Le Rafale Cocktail.
Dans le verre à mélange:
2 jets de Bitter Campari, 1/6 de Saint
Raphaël rouge, 1/6 de Saint Raphaël blanc,
2/3 Booth’s Yellow Gin.
Mélanger et servir.
1947 A. Vermeys: Cocktails. Seite 56. La Rafale Cocktail.
(Tumbler)
2 traits de Sherry Sandeman; 1/3 Saint-Ra-
phaël rouge; 1/3 Kirsch; 1/3 Dry Gin.
Alternativ heißt dieser Drink bei A. Vermeys auch Le Saint-Raphael Cocktail.
1948 Jean Lupoiu: Cocktails. Seite 68. Le Rafale Cocktail.
Dans le verre à mélange:
2 jets de Bitter Campari, 1/6 de Saint-
Raphaël rouge, 1/6 de Saint-Raphaël blanc,
2/3 Booth’s Yellow Gin.
Mélanger et servir.
1960 Anonymus: Tout les cocktails et les boissons refraichissantes. Seite 94. Rafale.
1/6 Raphaël blanc
1/6 Raphaël rouge
2/3 Gin
2 traits de Campari
Edner Cocktail
1908 Jacob Abraham Grohusko: Jack’s Manual, Seite 28. Edner Cocktail.
50% St. Raphael
50% Gordon gin
Twist of orange peel.
Fill glass with cracked ice,
stir, strain and serve in cock-
tail glass.
1910 Jacob Abraham Grohusko: Jack’s Manual, Seite 41. Edner Cocktail.
50% St. Raphael
50% dry gin
Twist of orange peel.
Fill glass with cracked ice, stir, strain and serve in cocktail
glass.
1916 Jacob Abraham Grohusko: Jack’s Manual, Seite 48. Edner Cocktail.
50% Dubonnet
50% Gordon Dry Gin
Twist of orange peel.
Fill glass with cracked ice; stir, strain and serve in cocktail
glass.
1933 Jacob Abraham Grohusko: Jack’s Manual, Seite 62. Edner Cocktail.
50% Dubonnet
50% dry gin
Twist of orange peel
Fill glass with cracked ice; stir, strain, and serve in cocktail
glass.
explicit capitulum
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