Porter's Tropical Gin, grapefruit sherbet, lime, Campari & Sabro hops — Gymkhana London
The original Pegu Club Cocktail was invented at the Pegu Club in Rangoon (Yangon), Burma, in the 1920s — a colonial officers' club named after the Pegu River, it served a gin, curaçao, lime, and bitters drink that was published in Harry Craddock's legendary Savoy Cocktail Book of 1930. Gymkhana's version at 42 updates the concept radically: Porter's Tropical Gin (a Scottish gin infused with coconut, pineapple, and mango — taking the gin's classic botanical backbone and adding tropical fruits) with grapefruit sherbet (a British Indian street food staple — sharbat, the drink India gave the world), Campari for the bitters component, and Sabro hops (an American craft beer hop with intense coconut, citrus, and stone fruit aromas, now used by adventurous bartenders as a cocktail ingredient). The result is a cocktail that simultaneously honours a 100-year-old colonial classic and completely reinvents it for a modern Indian restaurant in Mayfair.
Sabro hops are widely available at homebrew shops (Brew UK, The Homebrew Company) and online. The tincture is worth making — it adds an extraordinary coconut-citrus-fruit note that no other ingredient replicates. Porter's Tropical Gin (available at Waitrose and online) is unusual and worth trying; Tanqueray Rangpur or Tanqueray Sevilla are more widely available substitutes with citrus character.
For a less bitter version, substitute Aperol for Campari and reduce by 5ml.
A Michelin-starred Mayfair institution inspired by the colonial-era gymkhana clubs of British India, where maharajas, army officers, and civil servants mixed. Gymkhana is known for exceptional game dishes, a legendary bar programme, and cocktails that draw on the subcontinent's rich botanical heritage — from wild game to monsoon spices.
Visit gymkhanalondon.com