Pompier

E.B. White

4 parts gin

1 part fresh lime juice

1 part apricot brandy

1 part dry vermouth

Honey syrup, to taste

Place the gin, lime juice, brandy, and vermouth in a highball glass, fill it with ice, and stir until chilled.

Add honey syrup to taste, stir to incorporate, and enjoy.

White is the author of the beloved children’s books, Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little, as well as that famed resource for writers, Elements of Style. But it’s his contribution to the world of cocktails that concerns us here. He devised the Pompier, his own variation on the Martini, and left detailed instructions in 1979 on how to prepare it:

“Equal parts lime juice, apricot brandy, honey, and dry vermouth. Stir this all together (you only need a tiny amount of the whole business), then add 4 times the amount of gin. Plenty of ice, stir, and serve.”

The combination of both apricot brandy and honey will make this drink quite sweet, so you might want to adjust the amount of each to suit your taste.