Affinity

A sophisticated blend of Scotch whisky with both sweet and dry vermouths, creating a perfectly balanced aperitif

The Affinity Cocktail is among the most specifically documented early-20th-century Scotch whisky cocktails in American bar history, with its first known appearance recorded in the New York Sun on October 28, 1907, which announced it as a new Broadway cocktail of the season. The drink — Scotch whisky with equal parts sweet Italian vermouth and dry French vermouth plus Angostura bitters — was subsequently published in Jacob Didier's bartending guide The Reminder (first published around 1909-1910) and later appeared in Harry Craddock's The Savoy Cocktail Book (1930). The dual-vermouth construction that defines the Affinity is called a Perfect cocktail structure in bartending nomenclature — the word perfect referring specifically to the equal split between sweet and dry vermouth rather than to the quality of the preparation. This structure produces an intermediate vermouth character that is neither the rich sweetness of sweet vermouth alone nor the drier astringency of dry vermouth alone, creating a more complex aromatic backdrop for the Scotch. The name Affinity suggests both the complementary relationship between Scotland and the Italian and French vermouth producers whose products complete the formula, and the older sense of affinity as a natural attraction or compatibility between elements.