057 – Suffering Bastard

A Sydney Covid ‘lock-down’ exploration of the 1941 ‘Suffering Bastard’ cocktail.

Lock-down has inspired me to explore this cocktail, which if not in the ‘famous cocktail’ class, really should be, as should it’s creator the incredible Joe Scialom.

Make your own ‘mix-at-home’ World War Two (1941) #Locktail remix of the ‘Suffering Bastard’.

METHOD – Add 30ml Gin (Old Tom or London Dry), 30ml Bourbon Whiskey, 15ml fresh lime juice, 10ml simple syrup (2:1 proportion sugar to water), 2-to-4 dashes of Angostura Bitters into a cocktail shaker with a handful of ice. Shake until cold (10-15 seconds) and strain into a large goblet, double rocks or highball glass that is also full of pieces, cubes or chunks of ice. Top up the glass with approximately 120ml of Dry Ginger Ale and garnish with a lime wedge and optional mint sprig.

HISTORICAL NOTES – The original ‘Suffering Bastard’ cocktail was created by Joe Scialom (1910–2004) while working as a bartender at the Shepheard’s Hotel in Cairo, Egypt during the Second World War in 1941.

The drink, invented by Joe as a ‘hangover cure’ became popular with British Troops under Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery, who were locked in struggle with the German forces under General Erwin Rommel (‘the Desert Fox’), including the two famous battles at El Alamein (during 1942). In late 1942, there were over 200,000 Allied Troops in North Africa. After WWII, Winston Churchill wrote, “Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat.”

In an apparently confirmed telegram (according to Jeff ‘Beachbum’ Berry), at one point troops ordered 8-gallons of the ‘Suffering Bastard’ to be sent to their location, again as a hangover cure.

This 1941 cocktail is not the same as a later, and significantly different, tiki-style cocktail created by Trader Vic (Victor Bergeron) in around 1972 in California, some 30-years later. There seems to be a large amount of confusion with the ‘Suffering Bastard’ with Cognac instead of the original Bourbon and Ginger Beer instead of Ginger Ale.

In Robert C. Ruark’s article ‘One for The World’ in Collier’s Magazine, 4 September 1953, Joe Scialom is quoted as saying “I always thought that gin, which I had, and bourbon, which I had, don’t marry.”

He goes on to tell the creation story in his own words, “But I stuck some gin and bourbon into the vase, and looked about for something to take the curse off. There was some angostura and some lime cordial and some dry ginger ale for fizz. I shook it all up with some ice and decorated it with mint. I was most surprised at the result. The customers did not drop dead. They recovered, and clamoured for more. Been clamouring ever since.”

Joe’s history is more interesting then the drink. He remained at the Shepheard’s Hotel in Cairo until it was burned down by anti-British rioters on 26 January 1952. He was imprisoned by Nasser during the Suez Crisis of 1956, suspected of being a spy and then left Egypt. He moved to Puerto Rico and then Cuba, before once again being made to leave, this time by Fidel Castro’s forces. He moved to New York and traveled the world opening bars for Hilton Hotel’s in Paris, Rome and London before retiring to Florida.

For a while, the cocktail became known as the ‘Suffering Bar Steward’ because of complaints about the name, it returned to it’s original name later in Joe’s life. The cocktail appeared in a pivotal party of the Second World War in a very challenging theater of conflict, at an equally challenging time for Egypt.

THE OFFICIAL MIX – There is a ‘Suffering Bastard’ cocktail on the International Bartender Association’s (IBA) ‘New Era Drinks’ list, here. It calls for 30ml Cognac, 30ml Gin, 15ml Fresh Lime Juice, 2-dashes Angostura Bitters, shaken and strained into a Collins Glass or specialty Suffering Bastard Mug over ice and topped up with Ginger Beer. Garnish with mint sprigs and an optional orange slice.

I’m personally of the view that Joe Scialom’s 1941 recipe is the official ‘Suffering Bastard’ and it is also a better tasting cocktail than the IBA or Trader Vic versions which didn’t come about until at least the 1970’s.

TASTING NOTES – With the significant amount of Dry Ginger Ale, combined with lime juice, sugar and bitters, the two shots of alcohol play a lesser role. This really does pass as a ‘soft-drink’ and not surprisingly a hangover-cure, even thought here are two full shots of spirits in the mix. It is refreshing, sweet, but not over-sweet and a very enjoyable drink with just a little bitterness and sourness to add great range to the flavour profile.

LOCKTAIL CHANGES – I have not made any significant changes to Joe’s 1941 recipe, as described in his own words. Instead of Rose’s Lime Cordial (which we explored way back in the 1800’s Gimlet cocktail – and you can make a home-made lime cordial with the recipe in that ‘Lock-tail), I have used fresh lime juice and simple syrup. For Gin I have gone with Jensen’s Old Tom Style, but use any London Dry or similar that has cocktail friendly botanicals, and for Bourbon, again the choice is yours.

YOUR LOCKTAIL EXPERIENCE – If you’d rather taste than read, I am progressively building an ingredient list and other sourcing information on this site. I will re-use ingredients where I can (good for my budget too), so that the cost goes down overtime if you are ‘playing at home’.

Let me know what you think.

Cocktails you’d like reinvented.

Recipes you’ve tried and your ‘score’.

This is seventh cocktail from the 1941-1950 bracket of ‘Locktail’ remixes. Full list in the index.