The Army Navy game is this weekend and we are mixing up this classic cocktail to enjoy while watching the game.

The Army & Navy Cocktail is variation on a gin sour that traces its roots at least as far back as David Embury’s The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks that was first published in 1948.

Orgeat is a sweet syrup made from almonds, sugar, and rose water or orange flower water. It replaces the simple syrup found in Gin Sour recipes. The scent of the drink is fragrant and floral, with a bright citrus note from the lemon juice.

The simplicity of the Army & Navy makes it great for trying variations, like using a fancy barrel-aged gin or different types of bitters.

You can watch the Army Navy game this Saturday, December 14th at noon on Channel 5.

Army & Navy Cocktail Recipe
Yields 1 cocktail

Ingredients
2 ounces gin
3/4 ounces lemon juice
3/4 ounces orgeat
a few dashes of Angostura bitters, for garnish

Directions
Shake the first three ingredients vigorously to create a froth and then strain the liquid into a glass. To garnish, use a teaspoon to carefully drop a line of Agnostura bitters in an arc on top of the cocktail. Use a toothpick to gently drag a line through the center of the drops to form tiny hearts.

Note: You can scale up the quantity if you are preparing a larger batch of cocktails by using this formula:

2 parts gin
1 part lemon juice
3/4 part orgeat
Angostura bitters for garnish