Welcome to Day 1 of the Advent of Cocktails 2025! Today's cocktail is...

Combustible Edison

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We'll kick things off with an easy cocktail in terms of ingredients, but if you decide to go the easy (Edison) or hard (Combustible Edison) method of preparing is up to you! Please especially share photos if going with the latter!

History

The Combustible Edison cocktail originated in the 1990s and is closely tied to the neo-lounge music revival spearheaded by the Providence-based band Combustible Edison. The band's leader, Michael “The Millionaire” Cudahy, coined the cocktail’s name, and the recipe first appeared on the back cover of their debut album I, Swinger (released in 1994). The drink was adapted by Robert “Brother Cleve” Toomey, the band’s keyboardist and a respected bartender and DJ. It remains one of the most theatrical and memorable cocktails from the Cocktail Nation movement of that era.

Edit: adding a bit more history, kudos u/cocktailvirgin

the drink was on the menu at Green Street in Cambridge where Misty Kalkofen, an old roommate of Brother Cleve, was running the show. They intelligently went with the classic instead of the flaming one. The earliest book recipe to the flaming one was 1998 in Paul Harrington's Cocktail: The Drinks Bible for the 21st Century (I'm guessing that it appeared before that in Paul's cocktail column in Wired.

The back cover in which the recipe first appeared

The cocktail was also mentioned by Jim Meehan (author of The PDT Cocktail Book that many of us know and love, amongst other books) in a This is TASTE podcast episode from last year

A post about the cocktail (and Thomas Edison) for those wanting something more to read while sipping today's cocktail

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Combustible Edison

• 2 oz (60 ml) Cognac (brandy)
• 1 oz (30 ml) Campari (or equivalent Italian red bitter)
• 1 oz (30 ml) fresh lemon juice
• Some recipes include 1/3oz - 2/3oz (≈ 10 -20ml) 2:1 rich sugar syrup (optional alternative to simple syrup), adjust to taste!

1. Chill a coupe (cocktail) glass.
2. In a mixing glass filled with ice, add Campari, lemon juice, and sugar syrup (if using); stir until chilled.
3. Strain into the chilled coupe.
4. Warm the cognac in a metal ladle or small heat-safe vessel until hot, then ignite it. (Optional and somewhat not recommended for safety reasons! Omitting the following steps simply makes it an Edison/Edisonian, see below)
5. Pour the flaming cognac in a thin stream into the glass containing the other ingredients (exercise caution!).
6. Express a flamed lemon twist over the drink and use it as garnish.

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Variations

A well-known non-flaming variation is called the “Edison” or “Edisonian.” It uses the same ingredients (Campari, lemon juice, sugar syrup optionally, and cognac), but instead of igniting the cognac, you stir all components with ice and strain into the glass, foregoing the fire for a smoother, more restrained beverage.

Another variant recorded in cocktail writings lists the proportions as: 1½ oz cognac, ¾ oz Campari, and ¾ oz lemon juice—shaken and garnished with a lemon twist; this simpler riff offers the same flavor profile without the dramatic flair of flames (cocktailvirgin.blogspot.com).

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Previous December 1 cocktails

• AoC 2020: Sidecar
• AoC 2021: Jasmine
• AoC 2022: White Lady
• AoC 2023: Cable Car
• AoC 2024: Bramble

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Ingredient heads-up: Tomorrow Cachaça will be called for

NB! Variations and your own riffs are encouraged, please share the result and recipe!

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