Don’t Give Up the Ship

Boozy, bright, and herbal

1 Gin

⅓ Sweet Vermouth

⅓ Fernet Branca

⅓ Cointreau

1 dash Orange Bitters

Stir and strain into a cocktail glass.

Garnish with an orange peel.

Don’t Give Up the Ship! The cocktail as it appears in Crosby Gaige’s 1941 Cocktail Guide and Ladies’ Companion, with a few tweaks to fit that of the modern palette, or perhaps just my own. The quote from which this drink gets its name was one spoken by Captain James Lawrence of the USS Chesapeake as he lay bleeding to death aboard his vessel. The battle that took place on the afternoon of June 1, 1813 was a grim one for the USS Chesapeake, as they had been overwhelmed by the smaller British frigate HMS Shannon and boarded within a matter of minutes. A severely wounded Lawrence gave his final command to his crewmates:

“Don’t give up the ship! Fight her ‘till she sinks!”

This later became a rallying call for the whole of the US Navy who eventually won against the British in the War of 1812 (for clarification, the war itself ended February 17th, 1815).

Now, how any of this has to do with the cocktail or its ingredients is anyone’s guess, though I must admit – and possibly because I have heard and retold the story many times – the original inclusion of Grand Marnier and this drink’s gin and bright orange flavours lend to it an almost maritime characteristic. Crosby Gaige was quite the purveyor of fine drinks and dining, though I never took him to be one for war stories. He produced for Broadway and spent many of his days mingling in the bougie cocktail lounges of New York through the 30s and 40s, though many of the drinks he featured in his books (including Don’t Give Up the Ship) fell into obscurity until rediscovered in 2004 at Seattle’s own Zig Zag Café.