Suffering Bastard
This is the drink I was going to write about for the last round of Mixology Monday, which I unfortunately missed due to being on holiday in a tropical jungle in the Congo, or the technological equivalent (i.e. my in-laws’ place). It’s what happens when one is too lazy to prepare things in advance.
The Suffering Bastard is noteworthy for being a tropical drink that doesn’t use rum. Apart from the name, of course, which makes it instantly memorable. It was created around 1950 at the Shepheards Hotel in Cairo, Egypt, and the name supposedly comes from some British officers mishearing a passing comment about a “suffering bar steward”.
In his seminal Grog Log, Beachbum Berry remarks that the original was made with brandy and ginger beer instead of bourbon and ginger ale. I didn’t have any ginger beer around, since it’s difficult to find here, and just swapping brandy for the bourbon would make a Horse’s Neck with some gin and lime juice thrown in, so I only tried the newer version.
So what’s it like? Well, it’s ok. The bourbon overpowers the drink somewhat, and doesn’t leave much room for tasting everything else. Maybe with a robust gin and a delicate bourbon it might work better, but I don’t think I’ll be making another one in a hurry.
There was one good thing, though. I was toying with not including a photo because I couldn’t get any decent ones (I’ll have to work on that), but I couldn’t resist showing you a close-up of a successful lime twist after the Fog Cutter attempt. 
Recipe:
1 oz. Bourbon
1 oz. Gin
1 oz. Lime Juice
4 oz. Ginger Ale
1 dash Angostura Bitters (to taste, I like two or three dashes better)
Notes:
As I mentioned above, the Bourbon overpowered the rest of the drink. I used Jim Beam bourbon, since I didn’t want to try something more expensive on an unknown cocktail. Maybe something more delicate might work better, but I have my doubts, so I didn’t bother…
Rating:
- Cool name, pity about the drink.
October 2nd, 2007 at 2:29 am
Dave, you’ve got to give the SB another chance. Or three. This is a mighty fine drink when made right, and rather off when made wrong. You really do need the right ginger ale though - Vernor’s or Blenheim’s or even Stirring’s (which might be your best bet) - or a ginger beer (and not Reed’s ginger brew, which has other fruit juices). A fairly pungent gin helps (Hendricks, though Gordon’s works) and a decent bourbon (Woodford, Maker’s Mark).
Scott
October 2nd, 2007 at 10:30 am
If the problem is the booze, then I can fix it. If the problem is the ginger ale, then we’re in trouble. I’ve never seen anything that wasn’t Schweppes ginger ale here in Spain.
However, I think I may be able to source some ginger beer in a specialty shop I know, although it’s quite far out of my way. You’re sure about this??
October 2nd, 2007 at 6:00 pm
Schweppes and Canada Dry and others are really quite wimpy ginger ales. The original recipe was made with a stronger British version, and the creator is rumored to have told Americans to use ginger beer because of the wimpy American brands. A stronger ale offsets the lime and complements the gin (which should also be a bit on the strong side - no Bombay Sapphire for this drink).
January 20th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Hey Dave - happened to see your post via Google while trying to remember where my favorite Suffering Bastard recipe was.
Scottes really right. I’d definitely say the problem was with the booze, though I’m going to admit - I am not a fan of regular ole Jim Beam. I’m drinking one right now with Jefferson bourbon and Bombay gin (not sapphire), and it’s pretty good.
Though I’m also using a rather strong ginger beer, and thus, it holds up quite well.
If you’re stuck with ginger ale - like I was until recently - I’d go with a smoother bourbon and a stronger gin. Also, the recipe I use only has 1 teaspoon of lime juice versus one ounce. (I got mine from Sloshed!.) Maker’s Mark, for instance, would probably make it much better. I also tend to use a bit more ginger ale, beer, whatever - the Fentiman’s ginger beer I’m using, for instance (purchased from a World Market) comes in a 9.8 ounce bottle and I used probably 3/4 of it, at least. There was enough for about one or two swigs from the bottle afterwards.
Ginger beer really is over all the key. In fact, I’m completely hooked on it. Other than the Fentiman’s, I’ve found Saranac makes one (the beer company), plus Stewart’s, Bundaberg, and Reed’s (all I can get from the latter is their Extra Ginger Beer).
So, what I’d suggest: smooth, good bourbon, strong gin, and high quality ginger stuff.