What is the Biltmore Habanero Cocktail August 1, 2022

I recently came across the following ad from the New York Times dated May 4, 1934 which advertised a cocktail known as the Biltmore Habanero Cocktail which was sponsored by Mexican Habanero. I wasn't quite sure what Mexican Habanero was. Was it an infused type of agave-based spirit like Tequila or Mezcal? And why at the Biltmore? As you can see, I wasn't quite familiar with both the cocktail and its location. I decided to jump down the New York City History rabbit hole for some more information. First, I wanted to do quick history on the Biltmore Hotel.

The New York Biltmore Hotel was built in 1913 across the street from the recently built Grand Central Terminal. Located at East 43rd Street and Madison Avenue, the Biltmore was a part of a grand complex of hotels and office buildings that would be built over the train rails and be interconnected with the Grand Central Terminal was known as the Terminal City Development. 

According to the article Biltmore Hotel from the New York Preservation Archive Project website:

"The 26-story neo-classical hotel featured a “stone base with arched openings, a gray brick mid-section and terracotta loggia and projecting cornice.” Its H-plan allowed almost all of its rooms outside exposure and it was one of the first buildings in New York City to use air rights, making the hotel significantly taller than surrounding buildings at the time. Among its well-known interior features was a direct connection to Grand Central Terminal, one of the first indoor swimming pools and Turkish baths, rooftop gardens on the sixth floor setback, and a Palm Court with a golden timepiece made famous in popular culture by the saying, “Meet me under the clock.”"

The Biltmore Hotel is to the left of Grand Central

The hotel fell into disrepair and after failed attempts to designate the exterior as a landmark. On August 14,1981, work began to strip the building down and it was reconverted into an office building made of red granite and glass which is now known as 335 Madison Avenue. The famed clock and connecting tunnel to Grand Central still exist. The clock is in the building's lobby and the tunnel connects the building to GCT.

Now on to the Mexican Habanero.

I was doing a quick search online to find out more about what Mexican Habanero is. Nothing really concrete came up. I found many pages for the obvious habanero peppers, Mexican restaurants and other recipes that showcased habanero peppers. I decided to go to one of the main sources of cocktail and spirits history: David Wondrich. I picked up the book The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails which is edited by him with Noah Rothbaum. I wasn't disappointed. This is how Habanero is described on page 340 of the book:

"Habanero is an aged aguardiente from the Mexican state of Tabasco that is blended with small amounts of sherry or other sweet wines to create what is essentially a cane-based version of Spanish brandy." 

The spirit's popularity was from the 1900s to the 1950s, especially during the Prohibition era in the United States from 1920-1933. It was during this time that tourists to Mexico picked up on this spirit. Once Prohibition was lifted, the producers of Habanero tried to make in-roads into the United States market. It wasn't very successful. According to Wondrich, Habanero is still made and sold locally in Tabasco but not exported.   

Now on to the Biltmore Habanero Cocktail.

After a quick search, I came up with contemporary cocktails which have either muddled habanero peppers in the drink, habanero peppers as a garnish or habanero infused spirits. It wasn't quite what I was looking for. Luckily for me the ad had the recipe for the cocktail. It calls for the following:

Biltmore Habanero Cocktail

1/2 Mexican Habanero

1/4 Italian Vermouth

1/4 French Vermouth

Twist of a Lemon Peel

Almond on a toothpick. 

The dimensions of the cocktail resemble those of a Perfect Martini, though a Perfect Martini would have about 2oz to 3oz of the base spirit of either Gin or Vodka. Well, at least if I was making it. I'm not quite sure what the Biltmore Habanero Cocktail would taste like. Is the Mexican Habanero sherry forward in terms of flavor?  

Please let me know if you have had any. Drop me your thoughts in the box below. 

Until Then May You Have Some Happy, Safe and Responsible Drinking, 

SiscoVanilla 

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