
A little bit of history
This ran in an Ontario paper on the day Princess Elizabeth married Philip Mountbatten in London. The Associated Press sent it out from New York, and it describes a cocktail an American hotel chain created for the wedding. Philip was born a prince of Greece. My guess, and I could be wrong, is that the Scotch, Greek vermouth, and ouzo were chosen as a toast to both the bride and the groom, finished with a lemon twist shaped like a British lion's tail.
The original recipe
A formidable description of the drink classes it as "marriage of two-thirds of Scotch whisky, one-third Greek vermouth, and two dashes of Uzo liqueur, a Greek-absinthe drink, with a piece of lemon peel twisted in the shape of a British lion's tail."
What to use today
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2 ounces blended Scotch whisky
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1 ounce dry vermouth
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2 dashes ouzo
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A long strip of lemon peel
Method
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Stir the Scotch, vermouth, and ouzo with ice until well chilled.
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Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass.
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Twist the lemon peel over the drink, curl it into a "lion's tail," and drop it in.
Worth knowing
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"Uzo" is ouzo. The article calls it a "Greek-absinthe drink." It's actually ouzo, a Greek anise spirit.
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Vermouth: any good dry vermouth works.
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Go easy on the ouzo. Two dashes is plenty. Anise can take over the whole drink.
My spin (not from the 1947 article)
A rinse of ouzo in the glass instead of dashes, half dry and half sweet vermouth, and a barspoon of honey syrup. Same lion's tail twist.
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About 1 teaspoon ouzo, for rinsing the glass
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2 ounces blended Scotch whisky
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½ ounce dry vermouth
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½ ounce sweet vermouth
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1 barspoon honey syrup (equal parts honey and warm water, stirred until smooth)
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A long strip of lemon peel
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Pour the ouzo into a chilled coupe, swirl it to coat the inside, and pour out the extra.
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Stir the Scotch, both vermouths, and the honey syrup with ice until well chilled.
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Strain into the rinsed glass.
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Twist the lemon peel over the drink, curl it into a lion's tail, and drop it in.
Sources
"Royal Nuptials" Cocktail Recipe, The Expositor, Brantford, Ontario, Canada, Thursday, November 20, 1947, page 10. Clipping via Newspapers.com.
"Wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten," Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_of_Princess_Elizabeth_and_Philip_Mountbatten
"Ouzo," Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouzo