The Pegu Club Cocktail Recipe

This classic cocktail was invented in a British social club in Burma outside of Rangoon. The Pegu Club members were mainly British senior government and military officials and prominent businessmen. The club was named after the Pegu, a Burmese river.

The Pegu Club Cocktail is one of the most iconic gin drinks in classic mixology, with a history that spans colonial Burma, Prohibition-era bartending, and the modern craft-cocktail revival. Originally created in the early 1900s, the cocktail served as the signature drink of the exclusive Pegu Club in Rangoon (now Yangon). This elite British colonial club, named after the nearby Pegu River, catered to officers and administrators seeking relief from the humid tropical climate. It’s refreshing blend of gin, lime juice, orange curaçao, and bitters made it the perfect house cocktail.

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The drink first reached global recognition in the 1920s, appearing in several foundational cocktail books. Notably, it was featured in Harry MacElhone’s Barflies and Cocktails (1927) and later in Harry Craddock’s Savoy Cocktail Book (1930), where Craddock famously described it as “the favourite cocktail of the Pegu Club, Burma.” These early publications helped cement the Pegu Club Cocktail as a standout pre-Prohibition recipe. Interest in the drink faded after World War II, but it returned to prominence in the 2000s thanks to renowned bartender Audrey Saunders. Her influential New York City bar, also called Pegu Club, revived the classic recipe and introduced it to a new generation of cocktail enthusiasts. Although the bar closed in 2020, its impact on modern cocktail culture is undeniable.

Today, the Pegu Club Cocktail remains celebrated for its bright citrus notes, balanced botanicals, and rich backstory—bridging colonial heritage with contemporary mixology. This timeless classic continues to shine as a must-try cocktail for gin lovers and history enthusiasts alike.

The Pegu Club Cocktail Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 oz of gin

• ¾ oz of orange curaçao

• ½ oz of fresh lime juice

• 1 dash orange bitters

• 1 dash Angostura bitters

• Ice

Assembly

Add all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake, and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.