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Brainstorm
Posted: July 18, 2026
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The Brainstorm is a pre-Prohibition stirred cocktail from Hugo Ensslin's 1916 'Recipes for Mixed Drinks,' one of the last major cocktail books published before Prohibition silenced American bartending. Made with Irish whiskey, dry vermouth, Benedictine, and orange bitters, it's essentially an Irish Manhattan with herbal Benedictine replacing the usual bitters — smooth, malty, and aromatic, with a sweetness that's more complex than a standard sour. The Brainstorm rewards patience: Irish whiskey's gentleness allows the Benedictine's layered herbs to come forward in a way bourbon rarely does.
Ingredients
0.5 oz Dry Vermouth
1 dash Orange Bitters
0.25 oz Benedictine Herbal Liqueur
2 oz Irish Whiskey
Instructions
- Combine Irish whiskey, dry vermouth, Benedictine, and orange bitters in a mixing glass filled with ice.
- Stir for 30 seconds until well chilled and diluted.
- Strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass.
- Garnish with an orange twist, expressing the oils over the surface before dropping it in.