Stinger (cocktail)
| Type | Cocktail |
|---|---|
| Primary alcohol by volume | |
| Served | Straight up; without ice |
| Standard drinkware | .svg.png){kind=small} |
| Commonly used ingredients |
|
| Preparation | Mix in a cocktail shaker and strain into a cocktail glass. May also be served on rocks in a rocks glass. |
A stinger is a Duo cocktail made by adding crème de menthe to a spirit.
The classic recipe is based on brandy and white crème de menthe, shaken and served in a cocktail glass. The origins of this drink are unclear, but it is mentioned in bartender's recipe books as far back as Tom Bullock's Ideal Bartender, published in 1917.
Variations
Mixing brandy with green crème de menthe, in place of white, yields a Green Hornet.
A "vodka stinger" uses vodka instead of brandy.
The Kremlin Colonel is made with fresh mint instead of crème de menthe, making it similar to a mint julep using vodka in place of bourbon whiskey.
In popular culture
During the heyday of its popularity, the classic stinger was considered an ideal "nightcap" for a night out in New York. Dudley, the Angel, orders a round of Stingers while lunching with ladies from the church in the 1947 Cary Grant & David Niven film The Bishop's Wife. In the 1956 Bing Crosby/Frank Sinatra film, High Society, Gordon Richards, in his role as Dexter-Haven's butler, makes stingers available at luncheon to those unfortunates who over-indulged in champagne in the previous evening's party as the proverbial "hair of the dog". James Bond and Tiffany Case each have a stinger in the 1956 novel "Diamonds are Forever."
An episode of The Whistler radio drama titled "Guilty Conscience", first aired on September 9, 1951, featured a high society party where the host and guests order stingers from the butler and make several references to their intoxicating strength.
The 1957 Cary Grant & Jayne Mansfield film Kiss Them for Me features several scenes where the main characters enjoy Stinger cocktails. The Stinger also gets mentioned in various scenes during the 1960 film The Apartment. In the 1983 film Gorky Park, detective Arkady Renko refers to the Stinger as a "whore's drink" and later in the film, orders a Stinger and says, "I am a whore."
In the 1988 film Beaches, Bette Midler's character Cecilia Carol "C.C." Bloom orders a Stinger twice in the movie. The drink is also featured in the 2009 Mad Men episode "Love Among the Ruins," set in 1963, when a man buys Peggy Olson a stinger at a bar.
In episode one, season two of "Family Guy" entitled "Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater" Brian Griffin orders a "Vodka Stinger with a Whiskey back" from the Cherrywood Manor bartender.
The variation that substitutes vodka for brandy was referenced in the 1970 musical Company:
Another chance to disapprove,
another brilliant zinger.
Another reason not to move,
another vodka stinger !— "The Ladies Who Lunch" (lyrics by Stephen Sondheim)