Leap-day legends
It only comes once every four years, so why not celebrate the day with a festive cocktail
Standing in the Hall of the Doges at the Davenport, with its crystal chandeliers and celestial murals, one can almost imagine how grand those celebrations must have been. Stories found in the Spokane Chronicle tell of leap year dance parties attended by hundreds in 1916, hosted by various women’s social clubs. Ladies in fine gowns with silk gloves and men in coats and tails danced to eight-piece orchestras surrounded by palm trees and trailing vines.
Tables were decked in white linen with flowers and fine china. Menus and chefs’ notes from the time suggest that the guests might have started off with a glass of sherry and a crab or shrimp cocktail, followed by lamb cassoulet or roast pheasant, popular at the time. Wine was served in silver goblets and perhaps a glass of champagne was enjoyed with dessert.
Leap day celebrations similar to those in Spokane took place in many English-speaking countries across the globe in the early part of the 20th century. The strict rules of courtship were relaxed during leap year, and it was considered socially acceptable for a woman to propose marriage.
At a 1928 leap year ball at London’s iconic Savoy Hotel, bartender Harry Craddock created a leap year cocktail which he credited with being responsible for more marriage proposals than any other cocktail ever mixed. The leap year cocktail still appears on some bar menus every four years.
Thankfully for both sexes, we’re more liberated now. The grand celebrations are the mark of an era gone by, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun on leap day.
“In the spirit of leap year, I created a cocktail called the Red Petticoat,” said Samantha Hammond, bar manager at Bardenay Restaurant and Distillery in Coeur d’Alene. Hammond was inspired by the bit of folklore suggesting that a man was required to accept a leap year marriage proposal from a woman. If he refused, he had to give the suitor a gift (a pair of gloves or a silk gown), but only if she was wearing a red petticoat at the time of the proposal.
“Why not create your own tradition?” suggested Kent Fleischmann, co-owner of Dry Fly Distilling in Spokane. With the promise of spring just around the corner, Fleischmann suggested celebrating leap year by enjoying a Raspberry Collins. “It’s one of my favorites,” Fleischmann said. The Collins is a contemporary version of the Leap Year cocktail, including the gin and citrus elements found in the original.
Head to Bardenay for a Red Petticoat (today only), ask your favorite bartender for a Leap Year, or mix a Raspberry Collins at home. If you miss the chance, you’ll have to wait another four years.
The Red Petticoat
Courtesy of Samantha Hammond, Bardenay Restaurant and Distillery, Coeur d’Alene.
1 1/2 ounces Bardenay ginger-infused rum
1/2 ounce PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur
1/2 ounce Absolut Wild Tea vodka
2 ounces sweet and sour mix (see note)
3 fresh basil leaves
Combine rum, pomegranate liqueur, vodka and sweet and sour mix into a mixing pint or tall, sturdy glass. Add the basil leaves and muddle or crush the leaves. Add ice, shake and strain drink into a chilled martini glass.
Note: Hammond recommends Mr. and Mrs. T’s or Daily’s brand with a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Yield: 1 serving
Raspberry Collins
Courtesy of Dry Fly Distilling, Spokane.
1 1/2 ounces Dry Fly gin
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
3/4 ounce raspberry liqueur or syrup
Splash of soda water
Garnish: Raspberry and lemon twist
Shake gin, lemon juice and raspberry liqueur or syrup in cocktail shaker. Strain into tall glass filled with ice. Top with soda water. Garnish with one fresh raspberry and a lemon twist.
Yield: 1 serving
The Leap Year Cocktail
From “The Savoy Cocktail Book,” by Harry Craddock.
2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce Grand Marnier
1/2 ounce sweet vermouth
1/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
Garnish: Lemon twist
Mix in a shaker with ice, strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon twist.
Yield: 1 serving