Millionaire Cocktail Recipe

By
Michael Dietsch
Headshot of Michael Dietsch, a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Michael Dietsch
Michael Dietsch is a barfly, boozehound, book hoarder, jazz fiend, and technographer. He has two cookbooks and writes about cocktails for Serious Eats.
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Updated Aug. 29, 2018
Jennifer Hess

The Millionaire is a cocktail that arose during Prohibition....

Wait, no, scratch that. The Millionaire is a group of drinks that arose during Prohibition, all sharing the same name but with wildly different recipes. You can find a version that calls for sloe gin, apricot brandy, and rum, alongside grenadine and lime juice. Trader Vic had a version that uses gin, vermouth, grenadine, and pineapple juice. (I haven't tried it; I hear it's kind of vile.)

The one I really like is a version with rye (or bourbon), grenadine, pastis, curaçao or Grand Marnier, and an egg white. It's rich and mildly creamy, with mellow whiskey flavors rounded out by sweet fruitiness and just a hint of anise. It's a drink with balance and grace, and one that reminds you that you don't need to be wealthy to feel like a million bucks.

Some recipes call for lemon juice to provide a bit of balance to the sweet flavors, but I don't feel it's necessary. I'm listing it as an optional ingredient here, so add it if you think it's needed.

I prefer either rye or a spicy bourbon, such as Wild Turkey, rather than a sweeter bourbon, such as Maker's Mark, for this drink.

Recipe Details

Millionaire Cocktail Recipe

Active 5 mins
Total 5 mins
Serves 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 ounces rye or bourbon

  • 1 1/2 ounces Grand Marnier or orange curaçao

  • 4 dashes absinthe or pastis

  • 1/2 ounce grenadine

  • 1/2 ounce lemon juice (optional)

  • 1 egg white

Directions

  1. Add rye (or bourbon), Grand Marnier, absinthe (or pastis), grenadine, lemon juice (if using), and egg white to cocktail shaker without ice. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds to blend all ingredients.

  2. Fill shaker 2/3 full with ice. Shake again, vigorously, until egg white is frothy and drink is well-chilled, about 30 seconds.

  3. If you shake the drink very well, twice, before straining, you should emulsify all the white before any of it curdles, and you can simply strain the drink into two chilled coupe glasses. If you open the shaker and see a few curdled bits of white, double-strain by pouring it out of the shaker through a standard strainer into a fine mesh or tea strainer held above the chilled glasses.

Special equipment

cocktail shaker, cocktail strainer, tea strainer (or other fine mesh strainer), coupe glasses

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
58 Calories
2g Fat
5g Carbs
3g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories 58
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g 3%
Saturated Fat 1g 4%
Cholesterol 93mg 31%
Sodium 37mg 2%
Total Carbohydrate 5g 2%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 14mg 1%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 37mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)