Five Cocktails Served on Board the Titanic (And How to Make Them)

The first-class parties aboard the RMS Titanic are the stuff of legend. One pictures opulent lounges filled with cigar smoke, extravagantly dressed guests, and free-flowing champagne. Yet hidden amongst this Edwardian excess lies a historically significant glimpse into pre-prohibition drinking culture, one that is meticulously explored in Titanic historian and food writer Veronica Hinke’s book The Last Night on the Titanic: Unsinkable Drinking, Dining, and Style.

“One of the things that’s so special about the Titanic now is that it's a time capsule. It's a wonderfully packaged study of the fleeting time period where fashion and food were very distinct. And there were many cocktails that were popular around that time that literally got lost with Prohibition.”

Veronika Hinke author of The Last Night on the Titanic: Unsinkable Drinking, Dining, and Style. 

Here are five Titanic cocktail recipes sure to transport you back to the Edwardian era.

1. The Robert Burns

The Robert Burns is a long-forgotten whisky cocktail that emerged sometime in the early 20th century. Named after the Scottish poet, it was popular at the Waldorf Astoria, a hotel owned by one of Titanic’s most famous passengers, John Jacob Astor IV. An elegantly balanced mix of smoky scotch, sweet vermouth, and velvety Benedictine, it’s the perfect after-dinner drink. The best part? “It comes with a really surprising garnish,” says Hinke, “a shortbread cookie!”

Ingredients 

45 ml Blended Scotch 

45 ml Sweet Vermouth 

5ml Bénédictine

Garnish: Shortbread Biscuit

Instructions 

In a mixing glass stir all the ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with a lemon peel and serve with a shortbread biscuit.

2. The Clover Club 

The Clover Club is the perfect cocktail for those who prefer their drinks light and fruity. Named after a social club consisting of lawyers, writers, and titans of industry who convened at the Bellevue Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia, it’s a pre-prohibition classic known for its pretty pink hue. “It’s one of my favourite drinks,” Hinke says “it's a great example of one of those drinks that's just really wonderful and would have been aboard the Titanic and hasn't really seen the light of day for many years.”

Ingredients 

60 ml Gin

15 ml Fresh Lemon Juice

15 ml Raspberry Syrup 

1 Egg White 

Garnish: 3 Raspberries 

Instructions

Pour the gin, lemon juice, raspberry syrup, and egg white into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously until chilled and frothy. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with raspberries.

3. The Bronx

The Bronx was purportedly the brainchild of legendary Waldorf Astoria bartender Johnny Solon. The story goes that Traverson, the head waiter of The Empire Room at the Astoria, bet Johnny that he couldn’t make up a cocktail on the spot. In response, the famous bartender whipped up a riff on the Martini featuring fresh orange juice, gin, and a mixture of sweet and dry vermouth. The drink was an instant hit and soon became a staple on the Astoria’s cocktail menu. While it may not sound fancy, Hinke points out that “[Oranges] at the time the Titanic sailed were a true luxury. It was something that was not as easy to access. There’s even a story about a man who stuffed his pockets with oranges to take with him on the lifeboat.”

Ingredients

50 ml Gin

20 ml Sweet Vermouth

20 ml Dry Vermouth

25 ml Fresh Orange Juice

Optional: 1 dash Orange Bitters

Garnish: Orange Twist

Instructions

Add the gin, sweet vermouth, dry vermouth, and fresh orange juice to a shaker with ice and shake well until chilled. Pour into a chilled glass, garnish with an orange twist, and enjoy!

4. The Knickerbocker 

The Knickerbocker is one of the oldest drinks on this list, dating back to at least 1862, when it appeared in cocktail pioneer Jerry Thomas’ Bartender’s Guide. Hinke describes it as a celebration of the Caribbean —a fun, fruity beverage that served as a precursor to the rum-heavy “Tiki Drinks” that came into vogue in the 1930s. 

Ingredients 

1 tsp Raspberry Syrup

Juice of Half a Lemon

1 Wine Glass (60 ml) of Santa Cruz Rum 

1 Slice Pineapple

1 Slice Orange 

Instructions 

Fill a highball glass with shaved ice, pour in all liquid ingredients, stir, and garnish with fruit. 

5. Punch Romaine

Punch Romaine was designed to be an icy palate cleanser for elegant dinner parties. According to some sources, it was originally served to popes as a summer refreshment, which would explain the “Romaine” or “Roman” moniker. Today, it’s most known for being the sixth course of the final first-class meal aboard Titanic. “It’s almost like a shaved-ice treat, but it has champagne in it,” says Hinke, clarifying that despite the name, it's not technically a punch. The original recipe is very involved and takes hours, but if you’re in the mood for a boozy project, you can check it out here. Below is the more streamlined (but no less delicious!) modern version:

Ingredients

1 Egg white 

30 ml White Rum

15 ml Simple Syrup 

15 ml Fresh Lemon Juice 

30 ml Fresh Orange Juice 

Champagne (to top)

Garnish: Orange Peel 

Instructions

Add egg white, rum, simple syrup, lemon and orange juice to a cocktail shaker. Shake without ice, then add ice and shake again until chilled and frothy. Strain the mixture into a glass of your choice over crushed ice and top with champagne. Garnish with an orange peel.