An Old Flame

An Old Flame — a Traveltini that never quite lets go

Some cocktails are chance encounters. An Old Flame is a reunion — planned, unplanned, and slightly dangerous. It walks back into your life with confidence, wearing a familiar smile and just enough mystery to make you forget why you ever said goodbye.

Created by Dale DeGroff and crowned first prize in the Fancy Cocktail category at the Martini & Rossi Grand Prix in Málaga, 2001, this is a drink with pedigree, passport stamps, and stories best told after midnight. It later found immortality in The Craft of the Cocktail — a fitting home for something so beautifully composed.

Gin sets the tone — bright, structured, unapologetic. Sweet vermouth follows, warm and familiar. Campari adds a bittersweet pause, while Cointreau and fresh orange juice bring a sunlit flirtation that feels distinctly Mediterranean. Then comes the flamed orange peel — a small, theatrical spark — reminding you that some feelings deserve a little fire.

Jonathan Downey famously prefers it with twice the gin and half the juice — proof that even old flames can burn hotter with age.

An Old Flame — Recipe

Ingredients

• 15 ml gin
• 15 ml Martini & Rossi sweet vermouth
• 5 ml Campari
• 20 ml Cointreau
• 30 ml fresh orange juice
• Flamed orange peel, for garnish

Method
Shake all ingredients well with ice until thoroughly chilled.
Strain into a chilled 5½–6 oz (165–180 ml) martini glass.
Garnish with a flamed orange peel — carefully, confidently, and with intent.

Serving note
Best enjoyed at twilight, somewhere warm — Málaga, maybe — the air fragrant with citrus and the memory of a certain perfume. This is not a first drink. It’s the second glance.

Dangerous? Slightly.
Worth it? Every time. 🍊🍸