A Million Dollar Cocktail in front of two miniature rubber ducks.

Million Dollar Cocktail

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Almost a classic, the Million Dollar Cocktail dates back to the early 20th Century. It's almost a Martini in that it's Gin and Vermouth, but takes a sharp turn with not only Pineapple Juice (which would still keep it in Martini territory) but also Egg White and Grenadine. Of course just adding Egg White doesn't make it a sour though... this drink is in a category all its own.
It's also possible that this drink came about in the late 1800's, so there's a span of a few decades when this recipe may have first been invented. Since we can hardly pinpoint a date for this drink first being made, we can't expect to get much more information. But more on this later...
Is this cocktail really worth a million dollars? We like it! We'll let you decide if it's worth the price tag.
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 1 cocktail

Ingredients

  • 60 mL Gin
  • 30 mL Sweet Vermouth
  • 15 mL Pineapple Juice
  • 1 Egg White
  • 1 tsp Grenadine

Instructions

  • Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker without ice and dry shake vigorously.
  • Add ice to shaker and shake again until cold.
  • Strain into a Coupe glass.
  • Serve, enjoy.

Notes

The two main theories as to who invented this cocktail are Ngiam Tong Boon from Singapore and Louis Eppinger in Japan. Boon is famous for the invention of the Singapore Sling while Eppinger is most know for the Bamboo Cocktail. Most people think it was probably Eppinger though.

Our Review of the Million Dollar Cocktail

Gin and sweet vermouth sounds like a great combination, but does adding some pineapple juice and other ingredients to it make it a million dollars? Let’s find out.

Obviously the first thing you’ll notice about the Million Dollar Cocktail is its name. It makes it sound like a million bucks, doesn’t it? And it kind of looks like a million bucks too. So, other than noticing the name, it’s also easy to notice that this cocktail recipe has some big shoes to fill.

Does the Million Dollar Cocktail live up to its name? Well, not entirely, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t taste good. With elements of a Gin Sour, a Martini, and a bit of its own thing, the Million Dollar Cocktail manages to tick quite a few boxes of different styles and different taste preferences. With that in mind, the this cocktail really does aim to please and it succeeds.

Where the Million Dollar Cocktail lets things down is that it’s not that special. Sure, it’s a wonderful cocktail. The tartness of the pineapple juice works well with the sweetness of the vermouth and the grenadine. It has wonderful mouthfeel from the egg white, but it’s not like it blows your mind. It’s not the most amazing cocktail you’ll ever have. I’m sorry to say.

But just because it’s not the most amazing cocktail you’ll ever have doesn’t mean you should make a Million Dollar Cocktail, put your feet up and enjoy it. Not every cocktail you have has to be a life changing experience. Not every cocktail you have needs to be your new favourite. Sure, for some, this will be their new favourite, but I’m also sure even those people will agree that this recipe isn’t worth a million dollars.

For fans of the standard sour cocktail formular of spirit, sour fruit juice, and egg white, this is another great cocktail recipe to add to your menu. For those who aren’t sure about sours, the Million Dollar Cocktail is enough on the edge to be a bit different, so it’s possible you’ll enjoy it to.

Try a Million Dollar Cocktail with some friends. Don’t tell them the name but ask them to make bids on it. Who knows, perhaps you’ll find someone who sees more value than I do.

8/10

  • Review by Ziggy

Here’s a few more cocktail recipes to consider…

If you enjoyed the Million Dollar Cocktail, perhaps you’ll like a few more recipes we have in mind. Below we’ll point you at some sections of our site with similar ingredients. Have a look!

Top 10 Gin cocktail recipes: these are the best Gin cocktail recipes we could find, in our opinion at least. Let’s see if you agree.

Top 20 classic cocktail recipes: or if you’re just into classics, take a look at our favourites.

All Gin cocktail recipes: this is where all of our Gin cocktail recipes live. There’s a fair few, so we hope you like browsing!

All classic cocktail recipes: like with the Gin cocktails archive, you can find all of our classic cocktail recipes here. Have fun!

One Response

  1. 4 stars
    It’s a nice cocktail but I would have liked to have a bit more gin coming through. Maybe it was just the kind of gin I was using. Still, a lot of fun.

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