White Angel

Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Truman Capote, 1958

1 part vodka

1 part gin

Place vodka and gin in a cocktail shaker, fill it two-thirds of the way with ice, and shake until chilled.

Strain into a cocktail glass and enjoy.

“Let me build you a drink. Something new. They call it a White Angel,” he said, mixing one-half vodka, one-half gin, no vermouth. While I drank the result, Joe Bell stood sucking on a Tums and turning over in his mind what he had to tell me.

Capote’s novella is undoubtedly more famous because of the (loose) film adaptation starring Audrey Hepburn from 1961. The film is more lighthearted than the book, which definitely takes a darker turn. Set in the 1940s and 1950s, a narrator (who is never named) befriends a mysterious young woman named Holly Golightly, who has a shadowy past. This scene takes place right at the beginning of the novel, when the narrator is hoping to hear some news about Holly, who he’s not seen for some time.

While he waits, he tries “something new,” a simple cocktail that will undoubtedly pack a bit of a punch. You can experiment with different types of both gin and vodka, or stick with the classics, especially if you’re searching for a long-lost someone.