• 30mL gin
• 15mL Campari
• 15mL dry vermouth
• 15mL Cointreau
• Orange peel (garnish)

Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass and add ice. Stir until chilled and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with orange twist.

This may seem like YANV¹Yet Another Negroni Variation right off the bat, and I suppose it is, but there’s something magical about the addition of Cointreau to this that takes it to a whole new level. I first stumbled across this drink in some random cocktail app I had downloaded to try out. It’s so simple that I was surprised I hadn’t heard about it until then. And it’s so delicious that I’m surprised it doesn’t get more attention in the cocktail world.

Lucien Gaudin was a French Olympic fencer in the early 20th century, having won gold and silver medals in the 1920, 1924, and 1928 Olympics. How he came to have a cocktail named after him seems to be lost to history. That bit of knowledge along with most of the history of this particular drinks seems to be one of those grand mysteries of the cocktail world that may never be known.

Indeed it seems very little is actually known about the history and origins of this cocktail. I’ve done some digging on the subject, and while I don’t exactly have an extensive cocktail library, I do have a few sources of information hanging around. One of the first references online that I came across is a recent blog post by David Lebovitz, and even he, great cocktail author that he is, was not able to find much about it.

I’ve found the recipe referenced in a few other places. It shows up in Lost Recipes of the Prohibition by Matthew Rowley, and Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh. While both of those books dedicate many paragraphs to the fun stories and lore of other cocktails, they come up pretty short on the description of the Lucien Gaudin. It would seem that much can be said about the fencer, but very little about the drink.

Supposedly, it also shows up in the classic Trader Vic’s Bartender’s Guide with a slightly adjusted recipe, but alas I do not have my own copy of this to verify. They increase the gin a bit to 45mL or 1.5 ounces (the Death & Co.: Modern Classic Cocktails book also includes this variation on the recipe). I’ve tried both ways, and I definitely prefer the original recipe. I like letting the other flavors from the Campari, Cointreau, vermouth come through more, but if you up the gin to 45mL, I find they get a little bit lost.

Even though my attempt to learn the origins of this drink have come up a bit short, this has not at all diminished my appreciation for this drink; it has rapidly become one of my favorites, and one of my go-to quick and simple recipes for when I’m making drinks at home. It’s somewhat lighter and crisper than a negroni, but not lacking in any of that delicious bitterness. The addition of Cointreau in this case adds just the right amount of sour and sweetness. Some recipes call for a lemon twist garnish, but I really like to double down on the orange with this one. But, however you like it, this is a great recipe to keep around.